cannabisnews.com: FBI Offers Reward for Missing Marijuana FBI Offers Reward for Missing Marijuana Posted by FoM on June 13, 2001 at 07:42:44 PT By Annette Barr, Staff Writer Source: News & Record After a six-month investigation into the disappearance of nearly 5,000 pounds of marijuana from the Chatham County Sheriff's Office, the FBI is offering a reward of up to $40,000 for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of anyone responsible for the missing drug.Agents are looking for specific information about the marijuana taken from a truck where it was stored at the sheriff's department, according to Chris Swecker, special agent in charge of the Charlotte Division of the FBI. Swecker announced the reward at a news conference in Pittsboro Tuesday.The 4,840 pounds of missing marijuana was seized during a drug raid in Siler City on Feb. 8, 2000.The confiscated marijuana was stored in an Army surplus truck in the sheriff's office parking lot because of a lack of storage space.The doors to the back of the truck were locked, but access could be gained through a sliding window in the side of the truck that had no lock.Swecker said the lock on the truck door had not been tampered with.Deputies discovered a large part of the marijuana was missing when they drove the truck to the Chatham County Landfill in September 2000 to bury it.After notifying officials of the missing portion, the deputies buried the remaining marijuana in a pit at the landfill.Several weeks later it was discovered that the marijuana, which came from Mexico into the country through Texas, had been unearthed and taken from the landfill.After former Sheriff Don Whitt left office andIke Gray became sheriff in December 2000, Gray asked the FBI to conduct an independent investigation.Swecker said the bureau is a couple of weeks away from presenting a case for prosecution regarding the marijuana stolen from the landfill.He said there are five to 10 suspects, all N.C. residents.Swecker was prepared to present a case a month ago, but he said new information caused a delay."We're hoping to get at least some of the marijuana (stolen from the truck) back," Swecker said. "We've already recovered some of the landfill marijuana."Although burying confiscated marijuana is an authorized means of disposal, Swecker said "it's not optimum." Gray is changing the department's policy so that all confiscated marijuana is burned.Swecker said his department has fielded several calls about the sale of marijuana, but not many strong leads about the truck."Where the truck was parked, virtually anyone had access," Swecker said.There were 10 agents at the sheriff's office Tuesday, and they plan to return today to follow leads and conduct interviews within the department.Gray and several deputies have taken polygraph tests, Swecker said, and have cooperated with the investigation."There is no evidence at this point linking the sheriff department to the landfill dig," he said. Gray said they have not yet interviewed the former sheriff."Our department has been under scrutiny since this thing has happened. A lot of people have ridiculed our officers," Gray said.Swecker said two or three agents will continue to work on the case until it is solved.Source: Greensboro News & Record (NC)Author: Annette Barr Published: June 13, 2001Copyright: 2001 Greensboro News & Record, Inc.Contact: edpage nr.infi.netWebsite: http://www.news-record.com/Related Article:Authorities' Marijuana Haul Vanisheshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9020.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #16 posted by mayan on June 14, 2001 at 15:47:51 PT Their bust "up in smoke" Did this happen in Mayberry? BWAHAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by Symmetric on June 13, 2001 at 22:54:49 PT Sorry, I already smoked it NFM, hahaa. [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by jAHn on June 13, 2001 at 15:05:39 PT People... ...should have gone on STRIKE a loooooong time ago, preferably 20 years ago, against this "Government." I guess the people don't know what it means to be embarrassed by a handfull of J.O.'s in a suit that prances throughout our communities...until next election? tsk....I don't think so...You'll have to show me another way... [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by jAHn on June 13, 2001 at 15:01:54 PT Two points... ...1st) Did anyone investigate "Dubya"? He's into stealing and stuff... 2nd) It's sad to imagine that these 5,000lbs. could've been intended to help alleve someone's pain, or save a person from slipping into death at their time of dying. Why can't the FEDS just end the Drug War, so all of this can be AVOIDED? THESES ARE PEOPLES' LIVES, NOT SOME FAHCKING NUMBER ON A PAGE!!! WHEN? WHEN DO WE STOP CARING ABOUT OUR DAMNED SELVES? [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by Steven Tuck on June 13, 2001 at 14:26:46 PT: sinse? there?Brick, I'll bet Not even the pigs are stupid enough to bury 5000lb.s of the kill. Hell that's more good weed then the whole states probably ever saw since the white man came with his forked-laws. I live in humboldt County and a harvest of 5000lb.s of the funk would even turn heads here. When is everyone going to realize that growing fine pot is an art and is extremely hard to big batch. It's like Don Peron and Riunite, the pot industry is very much like the wine industry. What you have here is the usual brick/local cop connection that is in every city in Amerika that I have ever been in. It's always some pig and his brother-in-law or some variation on that because they sre the only ones stupid enough to risk life and limb for dirt weed that is the staple of every city back east I ever saw. At 50.00 a quarter they are making a killing and it's these facisist who drive the very drug war that keeps them in business. Face it if everyone in US had access to Humboldt Kill then I doubt mexican brickweed could be given away. Some pig just got pissed cause his weed got busted and stole it back, they know it and we know it. That reward was even a cop-type reward because they consistantly sellout for chump change because they have No Vision. Let's start calling these pigs on this and watch their little brck-markets drift away like smoke. [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by Pontifex on June 13, 2001 at 12:27:50 PT: When pot is legal, I will smoke 5,000 pounds Aocp, thanks for the compliment! I laugh to avoid crying. All that gorgeous sinsemilla gone... like Kevin says, we can only hope a bunch of lucky smokers are getting stoned out of their gizz-ourds on it right now.Rambler, you're right. Burning all that cannabis on a bonfire is a public health hazard, prompting heart attacks, lung cancer and male infertility, not to mention sending the wrong smoke signal to children. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by Kevin Hebert on June 13, 2001 at 11:15:28 PT: I have to say... I like to think that the 5,000 missing pounds have already been burned. And honestly, I am truly happy that some lucky potheads got high on FBI weed. It truly serves them right. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by FoM on June 13, 2001 at 09:37:06 PT Contraband marijuana must be carefully burned There sure would be a lot of people walking around saying, I'll never come down! I'll never come down! LOL! [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by Rambler on June 13, 2001 at 09:03:11 PT Bonfire Smokeout If they burn all that Marijuana,many people will be atrisk of heart attacks,and cancer.Frances might be downwindand get cancer from the Benzo a pyrene.Supermarkets andfast food restaurants will run out of edibles.Throngs of stonedcitizens will be aimlessly wandering the streets trying to findout where they live as their short term memories are wipedout from the pungent smoke.Thousands will lose their jobs astheir drug tests return positive. utter mayhem! [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Sudaca on June 13, 2001 at 08:54:35 PT NarcoNews Sort of unrelated, but since this is actually something you can do, check outhttp://www.narconews.com/thegreatdebate.htmlThe short of it, Al Giordano is presenting us with an opportunity to refute point by point the speach against legalization made by Ambassador Davidow to the mexican people. The refutations will be sent to a large number of Mexican press people. "This is an invitation and a call for you to:A. Read Davidow's speech against drug legalization.B. Pick out the section of the Ambassador's argument that touches upon your area of expertise or your direct experience.C. Correct the Ambassador's facts and logic.D. Write a paragraph or two in response, based on the true facts.E. Send your response, via e-mail, to narconews hotmail.com" [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by aocp on June 13, 2001 at 08:52:58 PT Pontifex... ...you're one funny mo-fo, you know? I'm in stitches!! Lemme know if you find the need for some expertise in the burning ... oh, and i can supply all the flame needed, since my boss supplies me with crazy amounts of free lighters on a weekly basis. Makes me pretty popular at parties, you know? ;) [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Harvey Pendrake on June 13, 2001 at 08:50:06 PT This was funny... ...until I thought about it for a while.First, we (U.S. taxpayers) pay for the FBI's guns, high-tech gear and cool jackets with big FBI letters on the back. Then we pay for their trip to Chatham County to spend 6 months...doing what? "Investigating"? After that wasted six months, the FBI comes up with the genius idea of offering $40,000 for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators of this crime. 40,000 more tax dollars pissed away.That's my money. I want it back. I wouldn't mind having some of the weed, too.Every marijuana user knows you don't leave your stash lying around for others to find. If the Chatham County sheriff and the FBI are too dumb to figure that out, maybe they should look for employment in the food service industry. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Pontifex on June 13, 2001 at 08:25:54 PT: Contraband marijuana must be carefully burned Hee hee, this article is a gold mine, so to speak:Although burying confiscated marijuana is an authorized means of disposal, Swecker said "it's not optimum." Gray is changing the department's policy so that all confiscated marijuana is burned.Anyone in N.C. with a shovel and a bloodhound should take note.As for the new burning policy, perhaps they'll need some skilled subcontractors to do the job. I think I could scare up a few people with specialized marijuana burning equipment and a proven record of getting the job done. Might take a little while to get through all 5,000 pounds, though! [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by J.R. Bob Dobbs on June 13, 2001 at 08:23:18 PT Thirteen cents per quarter ounce! Doing the math, that means the feds are willing to pay approximately $8.25 per pound of pot they recover. Yeah, right. The only way that'd appear as a decent incentive is if it were legal, and the price on the open market was driven down to the point where $8.25 a pound seems reasonable. Right now, the feds would have better luck offering $825 per pound, but even then I think most people could find a buyer willing to offer more... [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Pontifex on June 13, 2001 at 08:21:04 PT: FBI offers $40k for return of 5,000 lbs. of gold Let's do the math, shall we?5,000 lbs. = 80,000 oz.80,000 oz. $300/oz. = $24,000,000 wholesale80,000 oz. $480/oz. = $38,400,000 retailvs. the FBI's offer:$40,000 = 5.2 lbs. retailAnyone who has the ability to store 5,000 lbs. of stolen cannabis would be insane to take the FBI up on their offer. They're offering a HALF-CENT on the dollar, folks! Not to mention the "uncomfortable questions" they'll ask of anyone who returns the green gold.Laughable, I say! [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on June 13, 2001 at 08:15:13 PT: Irony Abounds The government cannot keep cannabis out of prison. Even law enforcement cannot keep track of it due to rife corruption. What Amerika can do is prosecute helpless clinical cannabis patients. When will they ever learn, when will they ever learn (to the lilting voice of Pete Seeger)? [ Post Comment ] Post Comment