cannabisnews.com: 55 Charged in Drug Paraphernalia Sales 55 Charged in Drug Paraphernalia Sales Posted by CN Staff on February 24, 2003 at 11:09:17 PT By Curt Anderson, Associated Press Source: Associated Press Washington - Federal authorities charged 55 people Monday with trafficking in illegal drug paraphernalia from coast to coast, using both traditional stores and the Internet.A federal grand jury in western Pennsylvania handed up indictments against 27 people as part of "Operation Pipe Dreams," an investigation stretching from Pittsburgh to Phoenix to southern California, Attorney General John Ashcroft said. Another nine people were charged in four grand jury indictments returned in Des Moines, Iowa, under "Operation Headhunter," which involved paraphernalia marketed nationwide by distributors in Michigan, California and Texas.In all, 55 people were named in nearly three dozen indictments returned throughout the country.Federal law makes it a crime to sell products mainly intended for the use of illegal drugs, including such things as bongs, marijuana pipes, "roach" clips, miniature spoons and scales. Those charged with selling and conspiring to sell such items face up to three years on prison and maximum fines of $250,000.A search warrant in the Iowa case turned up more than $2 million in illegal paraphernalia, authorities said.Ashcroft said the sale of drug paraphernalia has exploded on the Internet, making it easier for teenagers and young adults to buy it. The items often are disguised as such things as lipstick cases to escape detection and are marketed under code names and symbols."Quite simply, the illegal drug paraphernalia industry has invaded the homes of families across the country without their knowledge," Ashcroft said in a statement. "This illegal, billion-dollar industry will no longer be ignored by law enforcement."The Internet sites go by such names as Smokelab.com, Aheadcase.com and puffpipes.com, according to the Justice Department.The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration along with the U.S. Marshals, Secret Service, Customs Service and Postal Inspection Service."People selling drug paraphernalia are in essence no different than drug dealers," said John Brown, acting DEA chief. "They are as much a part of drug trafficking as silencers are a part of criminal homicide."On The Net:DEA: http://www.usdoj.gov/deaJustice Department: http://www.usdoj.govSource: Associated PressAuthor: Curt Anderson, Associated PressPublished: February 24, 2003Copyright: 2003 Associated Press CannabisNews - Paraphernalia Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/paraphernalia.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #38 posted by afterburner on February 24, 2003 at 20:15:01 PT: FoM I know what you mean. My High Times subscription was a victim of the first war on paraphernalia. It "just didn't seem prudent." I guess that's why I'm called afterburner. "You have not converted a man just because you have silenced him." - John Lord Morley The Compassionate Conservatives http://artists.iuma.com/IUMA/Bands/The_Compassionate_Conservatives/images/lg-254320.jpgego destruction or ego transcendence, that is the question. [ Post Comment ] Comment #37 posted by FoM on February 24, 2003 at 19:16:23 PT afterburner We had a really nice head shop back in the 70s and they made them stop and it is now a Boutique. I haven't seen a head shop in our area since the 70s. It happened about the time we were seeing possible decriminalization and then it did a complete turn to prohibition. You can't even get a High Times Magazine in our area unless you go to a porn shop. [ Post Comment ] Comment #36 posted by afterburner on February 24, 2003 at 19:08:26 PT: They Try to Stuff the Genie Back in the Bottle. This is just tired old policies, politics, and practices being re-tried. The cannabis liberalization of the 1970's was successfully halted by using exactly the same tactics: demonize paraphernalia. "This is like deja vu all over again." -Yogi Berra. Only problem is, the Genie is out of the bottle. Medical cannabis is growing in therapy, scientific research, legal support, and establishment of supply. The lies of the federal prohibition campaign are being successfully rebutted on the Internet. Eighty percent of the population is in favor of legal medical cannabis. The money, once used to prosecute and maybe cage humans for using a God-given plant, is no longer available as we organize the homeland and send troops to far corners of the world to counter global terrorism. The states are near bankruptcy.The federal government is wasting even more resources again (in a time of weak economics) in a futile attempt to stuff the Genie back in the bottle. The "irrational exuberance" of the war on (some) drugs will not stand. WE THE PEOPLE will fight "to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity," as promised by the Constitution.ego destruction or ego transcendence, that is the question. [ Post Comment ] Comment #35 posted by Heavy-D on February 24, 2003 at 19:05:10 PT: Where the Raids Started -Barmes & Chills (repost) You guys asked me to post this again, so here it is!For all of you that don't know the history of this, 18 months ago both Barmes Wholesale and Chills Industries were raided by the DEA/Feds.Chris Hill (from Chills) took a plea deal and gave all the information he knew at the time of his plea bargain (thus testifying against the other pipe sellers).Barmes Wholesale (Barmes is a big family, there is Brian Barmes, Marvin Barmes, Mark Barmes and many others) is still in some serious trouble. Beyond selling bongs and other pipes, Barmes has / had offshore bank accounts in the Bahammas where they funnelled all their profits to avoid US Taxes. So now Barmes is in a LOT of trouble - Drug Paraphernalia, Money Laundering, Tax Evasion and with the new Patriot act, they are "enemies of the state" (because of the offshore bank used with illegal activities).However, for some reason we haven't hear much about the Barmes case. I live in Indiana and the rumor mill is that Barmes is testifying and turning Federal evidence for a lesser charge.I don't know if this is true, but it would explain why none of the Barmes family is in jail (they even still sell their RiteWeight scales online).So I think it's safe to say that these raids were the result of a Snowball effect, pushed by the earlier raids on Barmes & Chills, powered with the renewed energy of the information given by Barmes & Chills.Anyway, be carefull out there! With all these people rolling and ratting it's a terrible time to own or operate a headshop. If you haven't been raided yet, it's just a matter of time till someone testifies against you and gets you shut down.Close your store and just walk away.Thank the lucky stars that nobody closed it for you.... [ Post Comment ] Comment #34 posted by Ron Bennett on February 24, 2003 at 18:44:01 PT Just contacted ACLU...others please do the same! I just contacted the PA chapter of the ACLU - a portion of the email I sent them is shown below.I hope others contact the ACLU as well - the authorities potentially could redirect any website...imagine cannabisnews.com being redirected to the anti-drug.org or freevibe.com, etc...remember the owners of the seized sites have NOT been convicted of any crime.------To whom it may concern-As you may be aware, state and federal authorities recently conducted raids of various companies/individuals that sell "drug paraphernalia", such as pipes and related materials.Reason for writing is to express my concerns about the comments by Mr. Ashcroft regarding the seizing of their websites and redirecting them to the DEA.A frightening quote from the a Voice of America article: http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=FAAF0B60-2B80-4100-BD255885C43351A6"Mr. Ashcroft says customers who want to visit some of their favorite drug paraphernalia websites are in for a big surprise in the days ahead. They will be automatically redirected to the website for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration."In essence the DEA is going to usurp the freedom of speech and expression of the people who run those seized websites. This would be akin to the U.S. Dept of Justice redirecting your "aclupa.org" website to the "usdoj.gov" website.And then there are the serious privacy issues involved if the DEA redirects the seized websites, since they'll be logging all visitors, obtaining their IP address and other information.------Ron [ Post Comment ] Comment #32 posted by freedom fighter on February 24, 2003 at 18:41:26 PT Legal? You asked! Ron, if I decided to re-direct DARE website to a headshop, you can bet they would sue me for this and get thrown in a cage. I do'nt think any government should be allowed to do this..ff [ Post Comment ] Comment #31 posted by FoM on February 24, 2003 at 18:21:17 PT NBC4 TV Video of Raid at Tommy Chong http://cf.nbc4.tv/la/sh/videoplayer/video.cfm?id=2000745&owner=la [ Post Comment ] Comment #30 posted by Ron Bennett on February 24, 2003 at 18:11:23 PT ALERT: DEA to Redirect Seized Websites!! According to the one article I read, the DEA is planning to redirect the seized websites to the DEA website.Now how can that be legal - redirecting websites is certainly a new twist on asset forfeiture!I encourage everyone here who cares about freedom of speech and expression to contact the ACLU regarding this matter. DEA redirecting seized websites raises serious privacy issues. Ron ACLU - Helps Protect Your Freedoms!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #29 posted by mayan on February 24, 2003 at 17:39:48 PT Priorities? I think you're basically right C-I-R-C-L-E. But now there will be less tax revenue for the fed's. Good! They better ban tin-foil too. And aluminum cans! There will never be a shortage of paraphernalia in this country. This effort is a microcosm of the entire war on drugs. It is absolutely futile! Once we invade Iraq there will be more terrorists than you can shake a stick at, but eradicating drug paraphernalia is obviously a higher priority!Authorities Raid Tommy Chong Business - Raid Part Of Larger Sting Operation:http://www.nbc4.tv/news/2000259/detail.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #28 posted by The C-I-R-C-L-E on February 24, 2003 at 17:18:16 PT The Point Here is Clear This is intended to scare the crap out of anybody who was thinking of engaging in said business, and to scare others who are currently operating similar businesses into stopping any questionable sales. Not only will people pull "clearly intended" items but many will go beyond what is intended, into the realm of self-policing out of fear. Sweeping raids will potentially ripple this way, providing a temporary over-reaching victory.The other point is to attack a source of advertising funds for cannabis publications and websites, hitting them hard, on the financial bottom line.Clever. [ Post Comment ] Comment #27 posted by FoM on February 24, 2003 at 16:48:52 PT Ron I agree they have happened before but I've never seen this many over so many states. Putting seized on the web sites is new I think too. [ Post Comment ] Comment #26 posted by Ron Bennett on February 24, 2003 at 16:33:57 PT It's Just a Big Money Grab by Authorities... Every few months there are stories similar to this one :(Often it's state prosecuters, but sometimes the Feds take the lead and get in on the action too...make no mistake, these busts are basically money grabs, since in many instances, it's not clear whether any law has been broken; asset forfeiture abuse at its worst!Ron [ Post Comment ] Comment #25 posted by Kegan on February 24, 2003 at 15:43:42 PT: Perfect God is on the side of good, obviously, because the soldiers on the side of evil just made a huge blunder.What next America? Your music? Your Books? Pretty soon you will need a presidential pardon to take a piss by yourself.How long you gonna take it America? Any Americans wanting to flee to Canada, Ottawa is one of the best towns in this whole country. Good town for kids, comparatively speaking. [ Post Comment ] Comment #24 posted by FoM on February 24, 2003 at 15:32:07 PT What About Who Makes The Baggies? They were showing baggies of different sizes on C-Span. Who makes the baggies and what about that company? I assume the baggie company would be well known. [ Post Comment ] Comment #23 posted by renerk on February 24, 2003 at 15:28:56 PT: Oh No I got a pipe I made out of pipe fittings, I hope they don't come and rip out my plumbing. [ Post Comment ] Comment #22 posted by greenmed on February 24, 2003 at 15:27:01 PT Choice of Illustration Plenty of other images, many more culture-neutral, at:http://www.clipart.com/Main/tour/keyword.htmlSearch for "hookah" or "bong." [ Post Comment ] Comment #21 posted by druid on February 24, 2003 at 15:24:30 PT tommy chong cont... The business was raided by federal agents, DEA agents, local police, K-9 units and the United States Postal workers.Why and what?!?!?!?!?!? .... I am flabbergasted! What do postal workers have any right taking a partin a raid such as this???????????? [ Post Comment ] Comment #20 posted by druid on February 24, 2003 at 15:22:17 PT Tommy Chong Chong was busted for his business Chong Glass but his website is still up. www.chongglass.com Authorities Raid Tommy Chong BusinessRaid Part Of Larger Sting OperationUPDATED: 2:46 p.m. PST February 24, 2003LOS ANGELES -- Authorities raided Chong Glass, a business owned by Tommy Chong, Monday.Raid Of Chong Co. Authorities Raid Chong BusinessThe business was raided by federal agents, DEA agents, local police, K-9 units and the United States Postal workers.A DEA spokesperson said agents are serving search warrants related to the sale and transport of drug paraphernalia across state lines.The business distributes glass water pipes, which authorities are in the process of confiscating.Agents made similar raids in Iowa, Idaho and Ohio. A case was filed in a U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, Pa., related to the case.Tommy chong's home in Pacific Palisades was also raided.http://www.nbc4.tv/news/2000259/detail.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #19 posted by Rayban on February 24, 2003 at 15:17:15 PT Why didn't they Confiscate all of the needles and dollar bills? Oh, I get it; this was only targeted against people who smoke. [ Post Comment ] Comment #18 posted by Dark Star on February 24, 2003 at 14:38:57 PT Only a Matter of Time The DOJ is vastly over-reaching and showing its fascist stripes. Sooner or later, people will protest.Unfortunately, I envision a scenario wherein we ignore the wishes of other nations, invade Iraq unleashing a relentless backlash in the Muslim world, and a worsening or terror, and a monumental hit to our economy.Any sane people would throw these fundamentalists out of office with Ayatollah Ashcroft at the head of the line. [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by FoM on February 24, 2003 at 14:30:35 PT Check Out The Illustration They Used Audio Report: http://www.voanews.com/mediastore/malone_drug-crackdown_24feb03.rmhttp://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=FAAF0B60-2B80-4100-BD255885C43351A6 [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by FoM on February 24, 2003 at 14:12:35 PT A Note They just said on C-Span that if you go to the websites it will state that they have been seized. [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by FoM on February 24, 2003 at 14:01:16 PT C-Span NOW -- Drug Initiatives It's on now! Showing bongs etc. [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by FoM on February 24, 2003 at 13:49:06 PT druid Thank you. [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by druid on February 24, 2003 at 13:33:32 PT oh my They closed all the stores and arrested several people in my area. On the live local news conference the DEA rep was explaining it and the news people asked some questions that the DEA guy couldn't answer very well.( At least to the best of my rememebrance)reporter: "Why are you spending money on this at this time? Isn't this a waste of resources?"DEA:blah blah blahreporter: "How much money did this cost?"DEA: "I don't know."reporter: "Am I going to get into trouble for having a tobacco pipe?"DEA: "No" (huh? Is it just glass tobacco pipes that are illegal?)reporter: "What are these people you arrested being charged with?"DEA: He had to spend about 2 minutes ruffling through paperwork before he came up with an answer. He had to read it. He didn't even know what they were being charged with exactly.reporter: "What sort of illegal things did you find?"DEA: "Illegal paraphernalia, devices used for drug delivery ...etc... and some of these places even dabbled in pornography."Since when is porn illegal. I know it's not where I live cos we have about 6 porn shops here that sell sex toys and videos. The feds sure didn't bust them if porn is illegal.All in all the reporters were pretty reserved about the whole thing and critical about why were spending money on something like this. [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by FoM on February 24, 2003 at 13:24:11 PT Related Article from Internet.com Up in Smoke: Feds Bust Online Head Shops February 24, 2003By Roy Mark http://www.internet.comhttp://dc.internet.com/news/article.php/1598131Operators of Web sites selling drug paraphernalia were among the 55 individuals and businesses indicted Monday in a nationwide investigation known as "Operation Pipe Dreams." The defendants are charged with conspiracy to sell, and offering to sell, various types of drug paraphernalia, a federal offense carrying a maximum jail sentence of three years and a maximum fine of $250,000. Federal law defines drug paraphernalia as products primarily intended or designed to be used in ingesting, inhaling or otherwise using controlled substances, and include user-friendly and dealer-friendly devices. Items such as miniature scales, substances for "cutting" or diluting raw narcotics, bongs, marijuana pipes, "roach" clips, miniature spoons and cocaine freebase kits, among other things, are all considered drug paraphernalia. All the defendants are alleged to have knowingly, intentionally and unlawfully sold the items for use with illegal narcotics. Many of the items were disguised as common objects such as highlighter markers and lipsticks to elude detection as drug paraphernalia and were marketed using code names and symbols. Web sites names in the indictments include pipesforyou.com, colorchangingglass.com, puffpipes.com, aheadcase.com, omnilounge.com, 420now.com, Gothicdungeon.com, Testingfree.com, Themallusa.com, and Pipesforyou.com. "With the advent of the Internet, the illegal drug paraphernalia industry has exploded," Attorney General John Ashcroft said at a Washington press conference announcing the indictments. "The drug paraphernalia business is now accessible in anyone's home with a computer and Internet access. And in homes across America we know that children and young adults are the fastest growing Internet users." Ashcroft added, "The illegal drug paraphernalia industry has invaded the homes of families across the country without their knowledge. This illegal billion-dollar industry will no longer be ignored by law enforcement. Today, (the government) has taken decisive steps to dismantle the illegal drug paraphernalia industry by attacking their physical, financial and Internet infrastructures." John Brown, Acting Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, said people selling drug paraphernalia over the Internet were no different than drug dealers. "They are as much a part of drug trafficking, as silencers are a part of criminal homicide. These criminals operate a multimillion-dollar enterprise, selling their paraphernalia in headshops, distributing out of huge warehouses, and using the worldwide web as a worldwide paraphernalia market," Brown said. "With Operations Pipe Dreams, these criminals are out of business, and 11 illicit dot.coms are dot.gone." [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by MikeEEEEE on February 24, 2003 at 13:20:25 PT Does anyone feel safer? This is a total waste of resources. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by noahtao on February 24, 2003 at 12:01:49 PT THIS IS JUST SICK! "People selling drug paraphernalia are in essence no different than drug dealers," said John Brown, acting DEA chief. "They are as much a part of drug trafficking as silencers are a part of criminal homicide."How could anyone seriously think this way? I hear Canada is nice eh? [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by FoM on February 24, 2003 at 11:57:08 PT Making Examples They can't win fighting us on policy so they resort to bullying. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by darwin on February 24, 2003 at 11:53:13 PT stupid This is just more proof to me that this is a cultural war. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by FoM on February 24, 2003 at 11:51:43 PT TroutMask Very good! [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by TroutMask on February 24, 2003 at 11:47:04 PT Self-defeating Great! Here comes the new trend: People smoking pot out of tobacco pipes. Tobacco pipe sales sky-rocket. Head shops start selling selections of tobacco pipes. Are we going to make tobacco pipes illegal?-TM [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Sam Adams on February 24, 2003 at 11:35:43 PT So.... a few businessmen get busted, and the rest are thankful to Asscraft & friends for the price support! Now we can keep charging high-schoolers $300 for a glass pipe!The sad thing is that this prevents vaporizer-sellers from growing, which hurts medical users. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Kegan on February 24, 2003 at 11:23:24 PT: Really........? "People selling drug paraphernalia are in essence no different than drug dealers," No seriously.... Are there ANY people stupid enough to believe this nonsense... I mean seriously?Like, no wonder your kids down there are blowing up your schools.... everyone keeps lying to them! [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on February 24, 2003 at 11:22:33 PT News Brief from KIDK TV FEDS Raid Idaho Business' in 8 CitiesFebruary 24, 2003By Terry Miller http://www2.kidktv.com/Idaho Falls - Local, State and Federal officers began a crackdown on drug paraphenlia dealers across the country today. The crackdown affected businesses and individuals from Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Boise, Nampa, Onatario, Mountain Home, Twin Falls and Burley. Press conferences in Pocatell and Boise are scheduled for this afternoon. The Pocatello news conference will be carried live by KIDK approximatly 2pm.Among the departments involved in todays raid wre: DEA, U. S. Marshals Service, Idaho State Police, and the Pocatello and Idaho Falls Police Departments.Federal prosecutors have charged 55 people with trafficking in illegal drug paraphernalia from coast to coast.They used traditional stores and the Internet to nab sellers of items such as bongs, marijuana pipes, "roach" clips to hold marijuana joints and miniature spoons.Attorney General John Ashcroft says one operation, dubbed "Operation Pipe Dreams," stretched from Pittsburgh to Phoenix to Southern California.Federal law makes it a crime to sell products mainly intended for the use of illegal drugs.Ashcroft says the sale of drug paraphernalia has exploded on the Internet, making it easier for teenagers and young adults to buy it. The items often are disguised as such things as lipstick cases to escape detection and are marketed under code names and symbols. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by darwin on February 24, 2003 at 11:18:47 PT And the feds go yet another step to far. I used to use apples, will that be illegal now? Damn supermarkets were tricking me into buying illegal paraphrenalia! It seems to be the Republicans Modus Operandi now. Press all their issues to the point of angry public blowback, then take one step back and make a stand. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on February 24, 2003 at 11:15:41 PT Here's an article It isn't detailed but here it is and I'll look for one with more information! [ Post Comment ] Post Comment