Grow Shop Surveillance

[HydroIndustry]

Here is a link to another situation that occurred in Richmond, Virgina. During a dumpster dive, police found credit card receipts at a local hydroponic store and decided to do some further investigation. Evidently, enough evidence was accumulated to obtain a search warrant and the target was found growing 63 marijuana plants total.

What's interesting about this case is while the grower was in lock-up, he bragged to his cellies that he had grown over 100 plants. Charged in federal court, his cellies showed up at his trial and testified for the prosecution that the defendent had bragged about growing over 100 plants and he was subsequently convicted of growing 100 plants or more, with a significantly longer sentence as a result. This charge was based solely on the testimony of the cellmates, since he was only found to have 63 plants, and many of those were cuttings.

Needless to say, the defendent was found guilty of:

Conspiracy to manufacture more than one-hundred marijuana plants;
Manufacturing and possessing with intent to distribute more than 100...;
Maintaining a place for the distribution, storage, or use of marijuana;

Oh, and he had a gun... but since the government couldn't prove it worked, they dropped that charge.

Sentence: 60 months each for the first 2 charges, 27 months for the third, all concurrent; followed by 60 months of supervised (drug tested) release; and a $20,000.00 forfeiture.

Of course, his cellies got a bit of time knocked off their sentences as a result of their cooperation. Never underestimate the power of government, and snitches, my friends.

http://pacer.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinion.pdf/075153.U.pdf

Oh, and the case and penalty was upheld on appeal.

 

[oldbongwater]

Just another prime example of "Keep your big mouth shut"
God or something gave you a brain...use it!

 

[GardenCaress]

LARGO - On four different days earlier this year, an undercover narcotics detective with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office saw a white Volvo parked at XXXXXXX Hydroponics, a specialty gardening store in Largo.
The car was registered to a 37-year-old woman living in a Redington Beach waterfront home. The month after her Volvo was last seen at XXXXXXX Hydroponics, narcotics detectives raided her home.

Man, fuck the stores.. that is not cool. The owner of the store in my area prefers his customers to use the back entrance, which I do. But who needs that stress? Online ordering seems a better option.

Link to the story
http://www.allbusiness.com/crime-law-enforcement-corrections/law-narcotics/13111482-1.html

 

[pimpjuice]

key words from the story. They don't have to follow you, and if the car is registered to you they can find any property linked to you through utility records.

"Typically, after the plate number is jotted down, narcotics detectives go to property linked to the owner, and see if an inordinate amount of power is consumed there, or whether it smells of cannabis -- two tell-tale signs there's a marijuana grow-house inside. Then a search warrant is requested."

 

[Biggy]

I use the back door as often as possible... do you think the store manager would tell you directly if you asked him if any contact with LCO's has taken place?? unlikely yes.... but....

 

[biteme]

there are no hydro stores in the state i live in but since most of us already have some sort of garden, how often do we need to visit and how much money is spent on each visit? i keep a shopping list for those times i plan for a visit to the big city but in most cases that list has light bulbs and nutes on it and not much else? and i'm not trying to squeeze store owners cause they need to make a living too, but even with shipping in the price there is not much that cannot be bought online cheaper than in the hydro shops. it's nice to be able to touch and feel and view a product in person prior to purchase, but in some cases we are speaking of a steep price to do so. peace-biteme

 

[Dr. Smokepuma]

in the Dc area the use impounded cars and convert them into cop cars with no marking just the light in the grill and back window driving ya never know the pop up anywere.

 

[supermanlives]

i used to go to a worms way that was watched. i would wave at the cops and laugh. i know they ran plates looking for a warrant and such.i borrowed a vehicle. DAVESNOTHERE