cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Raids Built on Years of Investigation
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Marijuana Raids Built on Years of Investigation
Posted by CN Staff on March 16, 2011 at 07:30:04 PT
By Matt Hagengruber of The Gazette Staff 
Source: Billings Gazette
Montana -- A day after federal agents executed 30 search warrants in 13 Montana cities, the U.S. Attorney's Office said that the medical-marijuana businesses raided were involved in large-scale marijuana trafficking and tax evasion.While there have been no arrests yet, agents seized at least $3.6 million from various bank accounts, according to court documents and the U.S. Attorney's Office.
In one case, undercover agents repeatedly bought marijuana from one of the owners of Montana Cannabis, which has offices in Helena, Billings and Miles City. According to court documents, Montana Cannabis also bought large amounts of marijuana from a dispensary in Bozeman after its grow operation in Helena was vandalized.Assistant U.S. Attorney Victoria Francis said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that the raids came at the end of an 18-month investigation involving multiple federal agencies. Francis didn't list the targets of the search warrants, but many are connected to medical-marijuana businesses.The release said medical marijuana patients with valid state licenses weren't the target of the raids.Earlier reports indicated that two other businesses in Billings had been raided, but both those businesses said Tuesday that they hadn't been visited by law enforcement. Americans for Safe Access, an advocacy group that had released a list of raided businesses on Monday, said it had received incorrect information.According to an affidavit filed with several of the search warrants, federal agents had been watching Richard and Justin Flor of Miles City since 2007. Richard Flor, father of Justin, is one of the owners of Montana Cannabis, but in 2007 was growing marijuana in his backyard. Undercover agents in Miles City bought marijuana from the Flor family at least twice in 2007, and the Flors also sold the agents a sniper rifle.The federal government doesn't recognize the legal use of medical marijuana, so the affidavit doesn't state if the Flors or anyone else were legal caregivers under Montana law.Based on interviews with former employees, the affidavit also explains the business operation of Montana Cannabis, which was run by Flor, Chris Williams and Tom Daubert. Daubert is head of the lobbying group Patients and Families United.The former employees told agents that Williams and other employees had "machine guns" in the business for protection, and Williams had a pistol with him everywhere he went. At first, Williams, Flor and Daubert were paid $2,000 a month. But as business improved, that jumped to $4,000 a month.In early 2010, the Helena grow operation was vandalized, so Daubert and Williams arranged to buy marijuana every week from Big Sky Patient Care in Bozeman. Big Sky Patient Care was also raided on Monday. The informant told agents that, for about six months, Montana Cannabis bought pounds of marijuana each week from Big Sky Patient Care, with one pound costing $2,700.Once Montana Cannabis recovered from the vandalism, they stopped buying marijuana from Bozeman. Employees would prepare the marijuana for distribution in Helena, and drivers would take it to Billings and Miles City. The business sold marijuana in many forms, including hash that was prepared by people who visited every month from Missouri, the affidavit states.By November 2010, the informant said Daubert had fallen out with Williams and stopped working at Montana Cannabis, though he still remained an owner and likely collected his monthly check.On March 4, an undercover drug agent bought a quarter-ounce of marijuana from Justin Flor at the Montana Cannabis store in Billings, at 2325 Ninth Ave. N. A few days later, agents went through the Flors' garbage in Miles City and found marijuana in the trash.Besides the search warrants, agents seized more than $3.5 million from five bank accounts linked to Montana Cannabis. The smallest amount of money in the accounts was nearly $88,000, while one account held more than $1.6 million. Agents said an account at Valley Bank in Helena was opened in December 2009. In about a year, Montana Cannabis deposited more than $1.2 million, mostly in cash.The medical-marijuana community in Billings was still reeling from the raids on Tuesday. David Couch, owner of Yellowstone Patient Care, said his business had not been raided on Monday, despite widespread accounts that it had been. Couch has four locations, including one in Miles City and one on 24th Street West across from the Rimrock Mall. He said his business had been connected to Big Sky Patient Care in Bozeman but "divorced itself" in September because of concerns he had with the Bozeman outfit.Couch said he received advanced notice that his business would not be raided, but he still closed his doors on Monday to avoid any problems. He said he had no idea how his business had been linked to the raids. Another Billings dispensary, A Kinder Caregiver, also said it hadn't been raided."We were informed that there were several dispensaries that were going to be raided across the state," Couch said. "We thought it in the best interests of our employees and patients to close the door for the day and let the chips fall."Source: Billings Gazette, The (MT)Author: Matt Hagengruber of The Gazette Staff Published:  March 15, 2011Copyright: 2011 The Billings GazetteContact: speakup billingsgazette.comWebsite: http://www.billingsgazette.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/IuAZY5xZCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 
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Comment #11 posted by Hope on March 17, 2011 at 10:42:25 PT
"A quarter ounce"?
"Besides the search warrants, agents seized more than $3.5 million from five bank accounts linked to Montana Cannabis. The smallest amount of money in the accounts was nearly $88,000, while one account held more than $1.6 million. Agents said an account at Valley Bank in Helena was opened in December 2009. In about a year, Montana Cannabis deposited more than $1.2 million, mostly in cash."I have to wonder what it took, and who it took to get that quarter ounce across the illegal line to that agent of our, apparently, robber baron government. A quarter ounce caused the government seizures of millions of dollars and cost loss of jobs for quite a few people and shut down a thriving business serving a serious need (whether the prohibitionists believe it or not.) And years of undercover work on these people? Years? How much of the tax payers resources did that take?This writer writes, in places, and with some unnecessarily artistic phrasing, like a crime novelist from the fifties. Stinking, tilted journalism.It's a shame those guys didn't find themselves able to follow the rules scrupulously. 
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Comment #10 posted by afterburner on March 17, 2011 at 07:39:48 PT
Personal Witness to the Raids
US MT: Raid On Medical Marijuana, Helena Independent Record, (15 Mar 2011) 
http://www.mapinc.org/newstcl/v11/n175/a10.html?256
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Comment #9 posted by runruff on March 17, 2011 at 03:47:30 PT
Racing, speeding, trafficking pot!
Like, pot on wheels! Pot is is just racing around the state being traffic. If we are not trafficking pot we are manufacturing it. We always smoke, never eat or drink it. We are always involved in deals, never gifts, trades or marketing like "legitimate" pill pushers.We are always lazy, walleyed addicts on our way to the hard stuff like heroin. The single malt crowd does not approve of free recreational drugs, they believe they will have another drink.-Glenlevit Single Malt Whisky is about $80-quart?"Vendors" not dealers or traffickers, if you please? Unless you cops like it when we call you brain dead, pastry sucking pigs! Which you all are-all that and more. [now that's just good reporting, right there]Pigs don't know anything because their snouts are always pressed against the bottom of the[public]feed trough or rooting in the [political] mud. I once saw a cop in a pig suit and I once saw a pig in a cop suit.-now that is just confusing,right there?
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Comment #8 posted by dongenero on March 16, 2011 at 12:35:27 PT
comment #6
Of course they are trafficking. Like alcohol is trafficked to liquor stores, like pharmaceuticals are trafficked to pharmacies, like tomatoes are trafficked to grocery stores, it's called market capitalism.Unlike the BS that is trafficked to Americans by the DEA.
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Comment #7 posted by josephlacerenza on March 16, 2011 at 11:04:20 PT
FoM, News from the web
I found this: New York Spends $75 MILLION A YEAR on pot busts.... Gawker.comSheer madness, we, as Americans, have money to burn like this????? How much did the raids cost in Montana, or California the next day???Raids in California the NEXT day after raids in Montana...
 
http://www.medicalmarijuana411.com/2011/03/15/raids-in-los-angeles-comes-one-day-after-holder-wastes-resources-in-montana/
New York City Spends $75 Million a Year on Pot Busts
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on March 16, 2011 at 10:30:02 PT
Medical Marijuana Growers Accused of Trafficking
March 16, 2011(Reuters) - A medical marijuana law in the state of Montana is being used for large-scale drug trafficking, federal prosecutors said, days after the U.S. government raided facilities across the state.URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/16/us-montana-marijuana-odds-idUSTRE72F68H20110316
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Comment #5 posted by josephlacerenza on March 16, 2011 at 10:08:50 PT:
Tank you Storm Crow!!
I will be waiting for that UPDATED List!!!
ADD/ADHD and Medical Marijuana
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on March 16, 2011 at 10:07:32 PT
Storm Crow's 2011 Updated List
URL: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/GL.pdf
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Comment #3 posted by Storm Crow on March 16, 2011 at 09:31:34 PT
Joseph....
Knowledge unshared, is knowledge wasted! And I didn't make my list to be wasted!My only problem is that you have an older, smaller version of the list- but I can fix that! I'll be emailing you a copy of the even bigger 2011 list in a bit! The rest of you can find out how to get a free copy of my 2011 list by running a search for "absolutely free Granny Storm Crow's List" and look for the greenpassion link- should be # 1 or 2. It always has the most up to date info on how to contact me to get my List (plus GP has a great MMJ forum). And FoM also has the List linked up somewhere around here. Educate yourself! 
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Comment #2 posted by josephlacerenza on March 16, 2011 at 08:17:48 PT:
Storm Crow
I have posted your list of peer reviewed papers on my site, I hope you do not mind! Check it out!! Tell me to take it down if you do not want to be affiliated with Montana Biotech. I'll check back here, or you can e-mail me at:MontanaBiotech gmail.comThanks for your tireless work, Storm Crow,Joseph Lacerenza, Montana Biotech
Peer Reviewed Research, Medical Marijuana
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Comment #1 posted by josephlacerenza on March 16, 2011 at 08:12:16 PT:
Biotechnology and Medical Marijuana
I have been asked the question, "What does biotechnology have to do with medical marijuana?". Well, I tried to answer that question! Check it out...
Biotechnology and Medical Marijuana
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