Topic: - on February 11, 2003 at 11:48:11 AM CET
5 Tons Of Seized Cocaine Hauled Into Port Canaveral
A Coast Guard cutter that seized five tons of cocaine in the Pacific Ocean docked in Florida on Monday to turn over eight Colombian men suspected of smuggling the drug.
The cocaine, stacked on the deck of the cutter Diligence in 50-pound plastic bags, has an estimated street value of about $300 million, officials said.
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Topic: - on February 7, 2003 at 11:27:03 PM CET
Couple in retirement community accused of running meth lab
Sheriff's investigators arrested a 71-year-old woman and her 44-year-old boyfriend Friday on suspicion of manufacturing methamphetamines in their home at the Leisure World retirement community in east Mesa.
Patrice Wentworth and Michael Davino face felony drug manufacturing and possession charges in connection with the Friday morning raid at their home, which stunned the senior citizens who live in the tight-knit, gated community of 5,500 people near Power Road and Southern Avenue.
"No one would imagine in 100 years there would be a meth lab at Leisure World," Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said.
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Topic: - on February 6, 2003 at 5:06:24 PM CET
Grow-op found in Vancouver mansion
A gated $2 million mansion in an exclusive Vancouver neighbourhood housed a marijuana grow operation, police discovered when they entered the home on a search warrant Wednesday . Vancouver police estimated the 500-plant grow-op was about six to nine months old. Inspector Kash Heed said the operation had a production value of nearly $2 million during that time period.
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Topic: - on February 6, 2003 at 1:45:56 AM CET
Jurors say they were duped
Ed Rosenthal CASE
Four of the 12 jurors who convicted medical marijuana advocate Ed Rosenthal of federal cultivation charges stood beside Rosenthal Tuesday and called for a new trial, saying crucial facts had been withheld from them.
Just four days after they had found Rosenthal guilty, the jurors said they felt misled by the judge's refusal to let them hear that Rosenthal's motivation for growing marijuana was to supply medical patients.
"For the first time in my life, I find myself questioning the court system, " said jury foreman Charles Sackett III of Petaluma, reading a letter of apology to Rosenthal.
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Topic: - on February 5, 2003 at 5:35:52 PM CET
French Marijuana fan faces jail
A key member of a pro-marijuana group which in 1997 mailed hand-rolled joints to French members of parliament now faces jail after finally being netted for selling hemp seeds and pro-cannabis T-shirts.
Stephane Karscher, who runs a shop called "The Bad Seed" in the southern city of Montpellier, a favourite hangout for sun-seeking hippies, was placed under formal investigation this week for encouraging drug use, police sources said on Wednesday.
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Topic: - on February 5, 2003 at 2:13:27 PM CET
Rosenthal remains free as pot case jurors decry their own verdict
In a courtroom crowded with medical marijuana advocates wearing "Free Ed" buttons, a federal judge said Tuesday that convicted marijuana guru Ed Rosenthal is not a flight risk and allowed him to remain free on $200,000 bail pending his June sentencing.
¬> SFGate
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Topic: - on February 2, 2003 at 2:32:16 PM CET
Cannabis economy brings in £11bn
Cannabis smokers just want to stay on the sofa and snack, spending hours engrossed in home entertainment. Red Bull and smoothies, 'Munchie' snacks such as Mars bars and Haribo jellies. Pizza chains. Video stores. Games consoles. Multichannel TV. And what scares them... Shiny, noisy places with too many choices such as Starbucks and McDonald's High-alcohol drinks and strong lagers such as Stella Artois Pubs with bouncers on the door: Businesses alerted to huge profits as study shows dope users have money to burn.
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Topic: - on February 2, 2003 at 2:02:44 PM CET
Jury finds marijuana activist guilty
An author of how-to books on growing marijuana and avoiding the law was convicted Friday of marijuana cultivation and conspiracy charges. The jury concluded that Ed Rosenthal, the self-described “Guru of Ganja,” was growing more than 1,000 plants, conspiring to cultivate marijuana and maintaining a warehouse for a growing operation. He faces a maximum life term when sentenced June 4.
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Topic: - on February 1, 2003 at 2:32:35 PM CET
Pot guru Ed Rosenthal could face life in jail
U.S. lawyers have presented closing arguments in a trial that could land a guru of the pro-marijuana movement in prison for the rest of his life, even though California deems his actions legal.
Ed Rosenthal, 58, has never hidden his enthusiasm for the weed and has written numerous books on the subject, including "Marijuana Grower's Handbook: The Indoor High Yield Guide" and "Marijuana Question? Ask Ed".
¬> Yahoo
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Topic: - on January 24, 2003 at 1:53:06 PM CET
Big pot stash was only hay
Had it actually been marijuana, the three wise men might be viewed in a whole new light.
What Chicago police thought was more than $660,000 worth of dope in a pickup truck last month turned out to be hay from a Roman Catholic church's nativity scene.
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Topic: - on January 24, 2003 at 12:53:01 PM CET
Harry Potter ecstasy
In the latest attempt to distinctively brand their illegal products, New York City drug dealers have begun peddling Ecstasy pills bearing images from the popular Harry Potter books and movies. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn this week charged 14 people with allegedly smuggling 400,000 pills of the popular club drug into the U.S. from Europe.
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Topic: - on January 23, 2003 at 1:14:34 PM CET
Children sold Harry Potter ecstasy pills
Police in the United States have uncovered a drug smuggling ring they say targeted children by stamping Harry Potter's image on ecstasy pills.
New York detectives discovered 400,000 tablets worth $6m bearing the image of the popular children's hero.
"These Harry Potter brands are targeting a young audience," a special agent with the US Drug Enforcement Administration told the agency.
¬> BBC
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