should I be afraid to go to a grow store?

[Hydro-Soil]

so me and my buddy left the shop and about a mile down the road from the shop a unmarked cruiser pulled us over and charged us with conspiracy(not even a seed was found) i was out on bail at the time so i lost 60 days.....but they took all of our equipment(around $3000) and 3500 in cash from me and $4000 from him.....the charges were dismissed but i still lost 3500 and the equipment for nothing....the grow store cannot be trusted, try and get someone else to go for you and then have them keep the stuff over night just to make sure no one followed him......and always go alone they cannot charge one person with conspiracy because you cannot conspire with yourself......anyways i'd rather not relive this anymore than i have to but if i can keep someone else from going through any of this i feel obligated too.

Sounds a lot like Nevada.

 

[B.Grant]

so me and my buddy left the shop and about a mile down the road from the shop a unmarked cruiser pulled us over and charged us with conspiracy(not even a seed was found) i was out on bail at the time so i lost 60 days.....but they took all of our equipment(around $3000) and 3500 in cash from me and $4000 from him.....the charges were dismissed but i still lost 3500 and the equipment for nothing....the grow store cannot be trusted, try and get someone else to go for you and then have them keep the stuff over night just to make sure no one followed him......and always go alone they cannot charge one person with conspiracy because you cannot conspire with yourself......anyways i'd rather not relive this anymore than i have to but if i can keep someone else from going through any of this i feel obligated too.

You went to the grow store with over $10,000 cash between you and your buddy, and you were already out on bail??? You guys are friggin' kiddin' me, right?

 

[G.O. Joe]

Actually you don't have to buy anything or even go to the store to come under investigation, i.e. American Agriculture in Portland. Just calling the store got 394 grows and 531 people busted in just the first 13 months of the police caller trace operation.

"They also did “knock and talks,” sometimes as many as 30 a day, asking people to let them into their homes to look for marijuana."

And how quickly y'all forget Green Merchant.

I've seen quite a few reports of busted grows in the USA that all started with people being followed or license plate numbers being written down, but these days the police are mostly smart enough to not reveal how exactly the investigation into someone got started in public documents. Do you really think that all indoor grow busts are the result of "anonymous tip"s, like the police claim now? If they are tips, I bet it's the police calling in at least half of them.

As you'd expect, police aren't really talking much and you are lucky to find court documents. 5 minutes on Google gave a fun quote from 2005:

"court records say the investigation began when state agents with a money laundering task force placed under surveillance Gold Coast Hydroponics, a Fort Lauderdale store "known to supply growers of hydroponic plants, including marijuana."

A truck registered to Jorge Diaz was spotted parked there. Agents used Florida Power & Light records to identify the house in Loxahatchee that Diaz owned, and conducted "trash pulls" that yielded small amounts of marijuana on clothing and dryer lint."

And this from 2007: http://blogs.kansascity.com/crime_scene/files/tran_complaint_affidavit.Public.pdf
Anyone from the Kansas City area? Who used to post but doesn't any more?

I'm just as sure that those aren't the only stores being watched, either by people or cameras, as others are sure that stores aren't watched because lights aren't illegal.

 

[Crash-n-Burn]

If you just need a good fan, go to an electrical supply house if you want to buy locally. I ordered my S&P fan from www.hvacquick.com. It's an HVAC site that's not connected to growing at all. Ordered my ballast from an online aquarium supply store, etc.

If you go to a hydro store, pay cash or use a prepaid debit card.

 

[BONUS BAG]

Actually you don't have to buy anything or even go to the store to come under investigation, i.e. American Agriculture in Portland. Just calling the store got 394 grows and 531 people busted in just the first 13 months of the police caller trace operation.

"They also did “knock and talks,” sometimes as many as 30 a day, asking people to let them into their homes to look for marijuana."

And how quickly y'all forget Green Merchant.

I've seen quite a few reports of busted grows in the USA that all started with people being followed or license plate numbers being written down, but these days the police are mostly smart enough to not reveal how exactly the investigation into someone got started in public documents. Do you really think that all indoor grow busts are the result of "anonymous tip"s, like the police claim now?

knock in talks,why would anyone agree to that.if i never broke a law in my life i still wouldnt let anyone check around my house without a warrant.thats like a cop asking you why did i pull you over LoL shit you tell me.but i think i made my last stop at the hydro shop for awhile,i get the point

 

[drow]

More info ono MTF Portland and trace operation here: (Its pretty old)

http://www.marijuanalibrary.org/981211.html

 

[BONUS BAG]

good read drow,i bet the store sued the city for that.lol maybe for slander

 

[Weedman Herb]

I dunno btown ... sounds like BS to me ...

 

[G.O. Joe]

i bet the store sued the city for that.

I'm not sure how the company could sue the city for having several hundred of its customers arrested for growing marijuana.

Although at a certain point the judges issuing the orders did not follow the letter of the law, this did not help defendants, because of course the police gave an excuse for searches besides being on the list. This is no different than any other case involving store surveillance except that phones were involved.

"the trap and trace order was merely the starting point for the police investigation of defendant's activities. That focus would have ended if it had not been sharpened by the unusually high power consumption at defendant's residence. But even that information merely intensified police interest in defendant to the point that they decided to visit his residence for the purpose of obtaining his consent to search. That quest, in turn, was obviated when the officers detected the odor of marijuana coming from defendant's house. At that point, the issue was no longer one of consent but, instead, of probable cause. The search warrant was adequately supported by an affidavit reciting evidence--the power records and the odor of marijuana--that was obtained only after an extended investigation carried out was over a period of days.

...Under the circumstances, the taint of the unlawful order was purged by the intervening police investigation and suppression is not an appropriate remedy for a violation, if any, of defendant's constitutionally protected privacy interests.

Affirmed."

BTW Green Merchant partially involved UPS shipping records etc., so online purchases don't keep you safe in the event of a repeat of that nightmare.

 

[BONUS BAG]

i dont know but they were used an im sure that hurt there business and with the tap being illegal in all who knows some lawyer may think of something.
im starting to think like Weedman Herb about that story Btown unless your leavin out something

 

[btown]

wasn't driving it was a rental van so they didn't need a warrant to see what was in plain view not smart to go to the store in a van either......but there should have never been any conspiracy charges because they didn't have us talking about growing and there was absolutely no marijuana or any kind or residue or drugs on us or in the van....and all the equipment was legal.....exactly the reason why the d.a dropped the charges....its not a crime to have money in this country there are old ladies all over this country with thousands under mattresses in their houses and pay for everything cash, not to mention the state of the economy.....

 

[d4twamp]

I use cash when I shop inside any of the hydro shops in town..no credit or debit cards or checks w/ my name on it...I have actually seen cops sitting across the street from a shop as I was leaving with some nutes, but I'm not sure if they were even lookin.

 

[crankndapot]

i have only one hydro store in my town. last year i lived in a college neighborhood, lotsa duplexes and a hotspot for grow busts... anyways, some ppl were distrubuting flyers/coupons and door hangers, through the neighborhoods, for lights and nutes and shit.. fuckin great deals too.. so my paranoid ass thinks its a setup by the local narc squad, i will never go there. my gut says its a no go.
i think flyers for grow supplies is very fishy, maybe in CA, but im in the bible thumpin belt. so i dont think so..doesnt seem like the type of thing those shops would advertise door to door. cops that think they are clever might though.. i dont know guys. peace

 

[Kif Kif]

Hello I have an odd question: should i be afraid or know anything special about shopping at a grow shop? I have heard several people on these forums talk about not going to these types of store out of security concerns. Should I be worried? I need to go to get a good fan and cannot seem to find one anywhere else. any advice?

also want to get some good nutes and was wondering what are a couple of good brands or products.

If your that worried, why not buy direct from the internet, There's plenty of shops to choose from just hit Google.

 

[Pythagllio]

A friend of mine in Baltimore MD is getting ready to open a store. He says he's going to offer a 'stealth' delivery service. You pick a place within 5 miles of the store, prepay your order, make an appointment, he delivers. Free for large customers, there's a fee for under $1000 IIRC. I'll post when he gets it open if anyone cares, but it sounds like a nice arrangement to me.

 

[Weedman Herb]

wasn't driving it was a rental van so they didn't need a warrant to see what was in plain view not smart to go to the store in a van either......but there should have never been any conspiracy charges because they didn't have us talking about growing and there was absolutely no marijuana or any kind or residue or drugs on us or in the van....and all the equipment was legal.....exactly the reason why the d.a dropped the charges....its not a crime to have money in this country there are old ladies all over this country with thousands under mattresses in their houses and pay for everything cash, not to mention the state of the economy.....

But they still kept your cash and the Legal Gear? Hmmm ... I'm STILL calling bs on this btown ... whatever ... You lied to try and look cool at the weedsite.

but they took all of our equipment(around $3000) and 3500 in cash from me and $4000 from him.....the charges were dismissed but i still lost 3500 and the equipment for nothing...

 

[smkemifugotem]

if you can avoid going to the store that would be ideal. also, when you order online, its preferable to send it to an address other than the grow house.

if you're looking for super-stealth i can highly recommend the Panasonic WhisperLine fans, you pay up but they're awesome. trouble-free continuous operation for years (filtered air of course). If stealth isn't your need, cheaper ones can be found on almost any hydro website.

for nutes, GH FloraNova and Hygrozyme.

good luck, enjoy, and be safe.

 

[jtk707]

Moral of the story is watch your ass wherever you go , and dont make up bullshit storys that people can see right throughweedman tore u a new one

 

[btown]

But they still kept your cash and the Legal Gear? Hmmm ... I'm STILL calling bs on this btown ... whatever ... You lied to try and look cool at the weedsite.

no i had to sign a paper dipshit that said they would drop the charges (forgive me for forgetting to include this) if i forfeited the money so its like in paid a big fine, its called dismissed w/o prejudice which means they can open up the case if they get new evidence as long as the statute allows which is 7 years, i have been through the legal system(not proud of it) i would not joke about or make up lies to look cool especially about some stupid shit like that.......and let me think would you ask the d.a. for your equipment back???? so they can trail me and build a case c'mon man its common sense if the cops even touch my gear that's a loss i can always get more equipment cant buy freedom

 

[D0MiN0]

I went to a store a few weeks back... I was so scared... The shop is in a another city, so I took the bus... The problem was that I had to go on foot to the station on the way back... I carried a sportsbag with cooltube and a fan and other grow stuff and saw a couple of cops on the way back... I would never go again... I'll just send a friend or somthing...
not a pleasant experience...