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| Drug Cops Swoop Down On Tomato Patch |
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Posted by FoM on July 22, 2001 at 09:10:52 PT By The Associated Press Source: Daily Press 
Glen Coberly was culling bad tomatoes from his vines when he saw the dark green helicopter circling. Minutes later police cars converged on his Middlesex County home, and officers ordered Coberly and a friend to lie on the ground. "They had their guns out," Coberly said of Wednesday's raid. After a minute or two he was told to get up, and someone started to read him his rights, he said. Meanwhile, one of the raiders examined the plants and determined they were tomatoes, not marijuana. Sheriff Guy Abbott tapped him on the shoulder as he was leaving and said he was sorry for the mistake. "We're just trying to do our best to protect our citizens," the sheriff said Thursday. "And we're not perfect; we make mistakes." An officer in the helicopter told the Daily Press of Newport News that the operation involved the Middle Peninsula Drug Task Force, state police and the National Guard. They were flying over Middlesex looking for marijuana plants, said the officer, who asked not to be identified because he works undercover. He said he and the helicopter pilot, who has flown numerous marijuana missions, believed the plants were marijuana because they were the right color. As for marijuana, Coberly, 39, said, "I don't touch the stuff. But I do like tomatoes." He'll have more for himself this summer. His friend, who was visiting in hopes of picking up a few tomatoes, told him he would never come to see him again. Newshawk: MikeEEEEE Related Articles: News Article Courtesy of MapInc. Total Uprooted From Mountain Site 100,000 Plants Major Pot Find on Palomar Mountain was Discovered Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #12 posted by WEED SMOKER on July 25, 2001 at 13:55:35 PT |
| Janus, i totally agree with you. What are cops protecting our citizens from marijuana for? It is just a plant! it is a plant that just has a chemical called THC that gets you high. That is about the only difference between marijuana and any other plant. So what do they bust into people's houses for and steal things? The cops are protecting us? Right. Marijuana is not a "DANGEROUS DRUG". It is not completly safe, but is pretty safe compared to harder drugs. People need to realize this, this is supposed to be a free country, and if you want to grow or smoke weed, go ahead. It isn't anyone elses business if you like to get high. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #11 posted by WEED SMOKER on July 25, 2001 at 13:43:25 PT |
| Don't some cops have some scanning equipment that goes to on helicoptors and aircraft that scans for marijuana, and it shows up in infra-red? If they think they can identify the plant from eyesight in the air, then everything might as well be some weed growing. There is alot of green plants out there besides marijuana, cops. Leave innocent people alone. [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #10 posted by grassmike on July 23, 2001 at 21:03:02 PT:
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| You know the U. S. has plenty of spy satellites that they say can read the date on a quarter if it is flat on the ground. Why do those DEA agents have to risk their lives and waste all that money when they could hire a paraplegic veteran to sit in front of a computer screen and render his country a valuable service? (A)That would require a heart (B)they need the satellites to find topless sunbathers (C)they would like to see the opressed peasant farmers of Mexico fulfill the demand (D)if they don't spend all the money in the budget funding will get cut (E) you better play with your expensive toys or you will end up with an ultralight. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #9 posted by Lehder on July 23, 2001 at 20:30:14 PT |
| glad you're on the job! after all, lots of people are allergic to tomatoes, none to marijuana. now on to the green chili peppers! [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #8 posted by mayan on July 23, 2001 at 17:44:38 PT |
| This war on plants gets more absurd all the time. I can just hear them narcs in the chopper. "Look! Down there! You see them plants? They're green! It must be marijuana!!!" At least they didn't spray Roundup on the tomatoes. Kinda' makes you wonder how accurate the fumigation operations are down in Columbia. "Just spray everything that is green." [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #7 posted by Child of Jesus on July 22, 2001 at 18:48:21 PT |
| You know what it cost to operate a helicopter?? The guys who fought for our so-called freedom in SEA can tell ya. It's nothing to burn up over a thousand dollars of fuel in an afternoon & why ? one of the other posters hit the nail when he said so they can steal a person's property. I say it's time to wipe the whole slate clean in Wash. DC & start new. The congress, & senate, suprem court, the Pres. the whole dam stinking lying cold blooded SOB's [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #6 posted by Janus on July 22, 2001 at 15:11:26 PT |
| "We're just trying to do our best to protect our citizens," the sheriff said Thursday. From whom? A bunch of armed thugs invading my house and holding me at gunpoint while they rifle my belongings? He's lucky he wasn't holding a garden trowel (looks just like a .45 to a nervous, hung-over trigger-happy narc)or he would be dead. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #5 posted by FoM on July 22, 2001 at 12:29:09 PT |
| Hi Everyone, I just wanted to say thank you for all the emails I receive. I just can't possibly answer them all but I do read them. I need to mention this also. I have been receiving a good deal of emails with attachments and I delete them because I don't open attachments unless I know who is sending them to me. That's the best way for me to protect myself from a computer virus I think. So thank you everyone and I hope you understand why I can't view attachments. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by freedom fighter on July 22, 2001 at 12:04:15 PT |
| Why? Why have we keep letting some folks steal like this and proudly call ourselves a free people? ff [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by observer on July 22, 2001 at 11:43:27 PT |
| "We're just trying to do our best to protect our citizens," the sheriff said Thursday. Is that what the goodly officer calls governmental preying on property owners? What a lie. Let's face it: these thugs with guns and badges, are out to STEAL. They want to STEAL property. They STEAL property, have STOLEN property, and will continue to STEAL property using the trumped up pretext of finding a pot plant or two. But make no mistake, this is not about "protect[ing] our citizens," this is all about loot-funded government STEALING private property. It is about government using law and brutality as instruments of plunder. "And we're not perfect; we make mistakes." Got that right. [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #2 posted by kaptinemo on July 22, 2001 at 11:20:30 PT:
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| " An officer in the helicopter told the Daily Press of Newport News that the operation involved the Middle Peninsula Drug Task Force, state police and the National Guard. They were flying over Middlesex looking for marijuana plants, said the officer, who asked not to be identified because he works undercover. He said he and the helicopter pilot, who has flown numerous marijuana missions, believed the plants were marijuana because they were the right color. Lets see: nearly every bit of flora on this planet is green. The shades may differ, but they're green. A lot of time and the taxpayer's money has been spent on these goofs, who are supposed to have been experienced in the detection of cannabis from the air...by its' color. Given the known trigger-happiness of the DrugWarriors, Mr. Coberly is lucky to be alive. And all because of a war on plants. I sincerely hope that he gets himself a lawyer. I really do. [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #1 posted by lookinside on July 22, 2001 at 10:42:07 PT:
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| should be held accountable for their actions both professionally and privately...malpractice insurance with a minimum coverage of $100,000,000 seems about right...that will partially cover the death of innocent people...$20,000,000 seems about right from EACH participant in this case...plus a few months in the general population of the county jail...for violating these people's civil rights... seem a little drastic? no more than life imprisonment in a [ Post Comment ] |
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