Midnight raid in Commerce Township

rzza

Well-Known Member
http://www.themorningsun.com/articles/2011/09/15/news/doc4e720450885f7130691869.txt

COMMERCE TOWNSHIP - News that an Oakland County Narcotics Enforcement Team raided a Commerce Township medical marijuana facility Wednesday has defense attorney Neil Rockind boiling mad.

“Law enforcement does the damnedest things and they keep doing it,” said Rockind.

“I’m beyond outraged,” said Rockind, whose client owns the facility on Welch Road. “I’m sick of the way police are treating caregivers and patients and I’m tired of how police are stepping on the law.”

Rockind did not name his client.

The raid, which started after 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, was at a co-op grow operation, according to Major Robert Smith of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.

“We are investigating whether they were in violation of the state’s medical marijuana statute,” Smith said. “At this time no arrests have been made and no charges have been filed.

Smith said that the officers took 500 marijuana plants from the building.

Rick Thompson, editor of Oak Park-based Michigan Medical Marijuana Magazine, said he spoke with eyewitnesses who said officers had been on the scene since midnight.

“They cleaned the place out,” he said.

Rockind compared the facility to an apartment building where each tenant has his own lock and entrance.


He said there were two buildings with 17 rooms each. The rooms were locked facilities where patients and caregivers grew plants.

“They weren’t drying, curing, sharing or using marijuana there,” he said. “This was not a collective grow. It was where they kept plants.”

Large signs were posted throughout saying, “Restricted Area, Do not enter under penalty of law.”

“Only the (tenant) had access using a code,” he said.

Colin Daniels, an attorney with Rockind’s firm, was present during the raid.

“People are calling here today asking, ‘How am I going to get my medicine?’” said Daniels. Michigan voters approved the Medical Marihuana Act in 2008.

Rockind said the people who used the facility thought they were doing it the “right way” instead of growing marijuana in homes or basements.

Rockind said he will take the matter to court but said because the case was so new, he did not have details.

“I’m putting police on notice that this has got to stop,” he said.
 

stumpjumper

Well-Known Member
Holy shit....

They want separate locked facilities.. wtf is the problem here. Sounds like Oakland Co could be in for a big lawsuit over this one. Fucking theives is what they are, they should be liable for the cost of all 500 plants they took, plus the damages from pain and suffering to the patients who will be suffering over this.
 

rzza

Well-Known Member
yeah and dont they estimate a plant in the ballpark of like 10k each? that could be pricey...
 

Chomps

Active Member
Sucks man

"Were investigating," he says...
Wouldn't a full and proper investigation come before a raid?
No charges or anything filed, yet everybody's shit disrupted and stolen.

Hopefully everybody gets reimbursed at the pig plant value
 

ravinredman

Member
Oakland county basically makes up their own rules when it comes to medical marijuana. The sheriff over there has always spoke out against it. I'm guessing that it has something to do with rich anti-pot assholes. Best to drive around it lol.
 

rzza

Well-Known Member
oakland county is A-OK in my book. when i was raided they were as courteous and kind as they could be and i wasnt hassled one bit (during and after). if your within the law they are cool.


my opinion on this raid is, this place had hundreds of plants in a single facility. its been made clear by state and feds to not go over 99 plants.
 

ThatGuy113

Well-Known Member
I never knew there was a option for this out there. That's such a good idea the potential of that market could be a huge selling point to some anti mmj voters. Hopefully this will work itself out, everything is gonna keep adding up until one day it's gonna pop.
 

rzza

Well-Known Member
this place approached me a few months back and i was too skeptical ....they offer(ed) equipped (co2, lights etc...) and non equipped rooms. ranging from tiny ( i think he said 6x6 or something) to huge. from $500 to like $10K per month. you paid by the harvest, so three months up front or whatever.
 

panhead

Well-Known Member
Mods,please leave my post deleted,any questions pm me,post was deleted by the op & has no reason to be reinstated.
 

panhead

Well-Known Member
Sounds kinda shady...
I would think people like us would give the benifit of the doubt to the victim/s.

Here are 2 scenarios that may change your mind about being shady.

You own an apartment building that is 20 single dwelling units,you have had this building inspected & has passed all requirements in order to be fit to rent.

You as a building owner chose to rent to legal med growers,word gets out now all 20 units are rented by legal med growers,each tennant meets all requirements to grow legally.

How is this shady.

Scenario two.

There are storage facilities everywhere,each area is a seperate area where renters of bordering units have no access to your unit,no visable signs of what you are storing inside.

Nothing shady in either scenario as far as i can see,its just another police action with vague details,take heed on one very important aspect of this police action.

No charges are filed ! Does this seem odd to any long term mich resident ?

As michiganders we all know police are lightning fast to charge with a crime,normally multiple charges per each case,why no charges ?

I see nothing shady except the delay in formaly charging anybody.
 

stumpjumper

Well-Known Member
I guess shady wasn't the right word. I should've said risky instead.

It was a BIG operation in the most unfriendly county in the state. What little common sense I have would've steered me clear of that deal and rightly so, I wouldn't be out of all my plants and eqpt right now and have patients out of meds.

We're 3 years into this and the law is still not implemented, the government is still trying to strip our rights. A place like that is going to be a very strategic target for them. They were nuts setting up an operation like that, even if they were legal to the last dot, still crazy man. Only good thing that can come out of this is that they will be the gineau pig for this type of set-up. We'll see what happens.

I hope Oakland county gets sued to hell too.
 

panhead

Well-Known Member
Stumpjumper,you echo'd my thoughts about this being a land mark case,this time the state fucked with people with enough assets to fight.

They count on having a bully pulpit with the media & judicial system,they count on citizens & business people not having the financial means to fight back,most people just accept what ever deal the prosecutor throws at them,weather they are innocent or guilty.

This time they screwed over citizens who can fight back in the courts,i have to believe this case will set a presadent.

From what i know of the business no laws were broken.
 

rzza

Well-Known Member
whats your thoughts on a single building having over 99 plants? multiple cg or not ....
 

stumpjumper

Well-Known Member
whats your thoughts on a single building having over 99 plants? multiple cg or not ....
Well you can't say "multiple caregiver or not..." that's would make all the difference wouldn't it. The only thing that really matters is if it was legal. Obviously one person taking care of 500 plants wouldn't be legal.

As far as more than 99 plants under one roof, if it is a collective it shouldn't matter.
 

rzza

Well-Known Member
your not understanding ...

california, colorado or michigan ....collective, patient or caregiver it doesnt matter ... nobody can over over 99 plants it becomes federal territory.

Well you can't say "multiple caregiver or not..."
why not? the whole purpose of this place was for caregivers to rent out units to grow in. each unit had its own caregiver. still 99 plants in a single building though ...
 
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