This just in through our Tips line:
Looks like there is a medical marijuana bust on Wallingford Ave between 37th and 38th. Police around all day. There are news cameras and a small crowd there now waiting for the cops to move the plants. This is mostly according to well-informed rumors from people in the small crowd. But I have personally seen the cops there all day.
Anyone know anything else?
Seen them there all day as well. Lets go booo them as they come out. Wallingford unite!!! Four cop cars for a little weed. Great use of resources Seattle PD!!!!
Here’s what I know…
Apparently a medical marijuana user lives in the house and this morning (around 1130am), 2 men broke into the home dressed up as FBI men. I guess they said they were there to “confiscate” the marijuana? I’m not sure if they stole a bunch of marijuana plants or what, but the police were called and when they got there, they realized there was more marijuana in the house then a medical marijuana patient could legally have. A LOT more. The police had to wait for a warrant, but it looks like they’ve spent a majority of the afternoon hauling out the rest of the marijuana.
So it looks like a combination breaking and entering/ home invasion/burglary/pot bust…just another day in the Wallyhood 😉
According the the resident’s lawyer there were easily over 100 plants in the house.. the guy was growing for dozens of other medical users. Apparently the house has been broken into twice before.
I’m all for the medical use but not that much under one roof- especially after other break ins.. its obviously a fairly well known op for someone to plot out going in pretending to be the FBI.. I’d say that’s a fantastic use of police resources!
All the news trucks and papers are there, everyone stay tuned!
But does anyone know why the car was towed??
i feel so much safer now that the cancer patients can;t get their weed
I drove by around 545pm and the rumor in the crowd was that there was a break-in… but marijuana? OMG OMG let’s bring out the entire police force/news crews
There are so many hurdles in the way of our country getting this right. I believe Seattle PD has been told to make marijauna enforcement (simple possession for personal use) their lowest priority which is a great step in the right direction. I believe we need to rethink how we treat marijuana AND alcohol in our country. Europe and Canada are far ahead of us in my estimation.
Unfortunately, given current legal boundaries (on which I don’t pretend to be an expert), it sounds like this operation may have been bigger than it was supposed to be. That would explain why that whole block smelled like Willie Nelson’s sock drawer and may have tempted someone to break in.
Lets all continue to vote and support this cause as possible. If everyone could legally grow their own there may be less temptation for someone to rob a medical grower who is providing a valid, if overgrown, service to the ailing community.
i was out gardening this am when 4 cops pulled up and ran up the street w/ weapons out (two with rifles) Make for an uneasy start to the day…I watched as more cops came and the day unfolded. After talking with neighbors that live directly across the street there have been breakins, comings and goings at all hours, shady characters and suspicious activity for a while. I’m all for someone having medical marijuana..I’m not for an upheaval in the neighborhood where a family w/ small kids live next door and the problems this has and can lead to. One neighbor said she won’t walk her dog by the house because she is scarred…This is not what we want in Wallingford.
I stopped and talked to the camera crews to find out what was going on and here’s his version:
There was a break-in involving some men who claimed to be FBI there to raid his crop. When the police were called, yes, he was in trouble for having more than his medicinal card allowed, but they were more interested in the thieves. Impersonating a law enforcement officer is a Federal Offense. Impersonating an FBI officer brings the heat double-time.
Sounds to me like some young punks that knew what was going on in the house unwittingly opened a huge can of worms that’s going to taste like a giant turd sandwich when the long arm of the law catches up with them.
I am completely for medical marijuana, and also completely for full legalization. If it was simply the 15 plants that a medical marijuana patient is allow I would have little problem. It is reported that he had 200 plants growing in the house. Even if he was growing for others, that means that he was growing for at least 13 other people!
This kind of activity does not belong in a residential area. In fact this is a perfect example of why it needs to be legalized and properly controlled. The gray market that it creates is dangerous for everyone as it brings bad elements. It is estimated that the Mexican drug cartels are funded 60-80% from marijuana.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009266184_potraid.html
Unfortunately SL,the estimation of Marijuana fueling the drug cartels is grossly inaccurate. Seattle pot smokers, smoke pot grown in and around seattle. Personally, we would NEVER buy pot from mexicans drug dealers! Keep it local!
Jose,
Here is a good article on the subject:
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2009/04/04/drugs/
I am not just talking without a frame of reference, I have many friends that live on both sides and close to the border who have been affected by the current situation. To try and say that the marijuana purchase in Seattle for recreation is only from the Seattle area, is to use your words ‘grossly inaccurate.’ Just because it might be high grade or not transport packed, does not mean that it is from Seattle. There is very little way to know where it comes from no matter what you are told. There are many operations from all over BC to Seattle to Olympia to Portland to Eugene to Mendocino to Humbolt to name a few. I will acquiesce that Seattle sees less Mexican marijuana then other metropolitan areas because of all the regional operations, but that logic does not extend to it not seeing any. If you are going to say that you know your recreation is macrobiotic, then I have a hemp bridge to sell you.
Personally, I can’t believe that anyone who saw the chemical fertilizers, etc. used by the professional grow ops would want to put that stuff in their body. (Though I’m sure the same is true of a lot of food products!)
I’d rather they arrest the actual drug dealers that park at the end of Corliss Ave N. (at the dead-end to the Good Shepherd Center)? These guys park every night do their business. They seem to do it in from the car and in Meridian Park. We call the police with details, but for various reasons, the guy (he’s huge and carries a steel pipe) keeps arriving w/ his pimp car and posse of scary-looking (white) young men. Everyone on block is afraid to go outside once he shows up and customers start arriving.
@14:
That’s completely ridiculous. How long has that been going on? What’s the license plate on the car?
@15
Actually, the police come every time we call, but for various reasons, they can’t do anything (i.e., they can’t search his car w/o certain circumstances in place, etc.). Also, the folks with whom he does business in the park must scatter once they see the cops coming–even at night. Last night, we actually saw some “customers” walk toward the street to make a transaction–but the cops were there. When they saw the cops they did quick turn around and all but ran away. We spoke with the police last night (the guy showed up several times). They actually went over to the guy and told them that they had nothing on him but that the neighbors were watching and the police had their eye on him. I’m interested to see if he comes back tonight.
i was out gardening this am when 4 cops pulled up and ran up the street w/ weapons out (two with rifles) Make for an uneasy start to the day…I watched as more cops came and the day unfolded. After talking with neighbors that live directly across the street there have been breakins, comings and goings at all hours, shady characters and suspicious activity for a while. I’m all for someone having medical marijuana..I’m not for an upheaval in the neighborhood where a family w/ small kids live next door and the problems this has and can lead to. One neighbor said she won’t walk her dog by the house because she is scarred…This is not what we want in Wallingford.
I wonder if all of the activity that PB mentions also has something to do with the chronic car stereo thefts between Wallingford Ave and Eastern Ave. It seems to have subsided since it’s gotten warmer and more people are out later or have their windows open, but during the winter when everyone was locked in their cozy homes I can’t tell you how many broken car windows I counted.
Another MAJOR drug location ongoing now for years, is the white house on Meridian Avenue N, close to intersection of 50th. Two brothers (one is now Thank God in prison, 3 strikes for dealing, stealing and most recently bashing into 5 cars on 50th street, ditching the stolen car, and finally being apprehended by law enforcement on Meridian near 50th, where he lived with his mother) have been running the drug show all hours.
Drive by and check out the ever changing cars (they park on side streets, using side streets to deal on cell phones) with all kinds of clientelle showing up at all hours. My car has been burgled 5 times by these drug maggots, I have been followed to my car, threatened by young druggie thugs, and had my bike stolen. All for drugs.
These drug dealers work with another area house, who have all ages of men showing up at all hours as well. Both houses, white, have police records and police activity.
Neighbors all up and down the street have been challenged, ripped off and or attacked by the druggers who live and work out of the white house off of 50th street. The university of washington police have arrived, and run up their steps with guns drawn. Since the elder drug dealer was arrested recently(3 strikes, he is gong Baby gone), his younger brother (never worked a real job in his life) has taken up the biz. The elder brother (early 20s) bashed into 5 or more cars while careening drug crazed, up 50th street. He then abandoned the stolen car and tried to run. Some called it in via cell phone and there was 6 guns & a shotgun trained on him, and FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY AFTER YEARS OF COMPLAINTS, he was arrested and busted forever. One down, one to go.
Drugs are sold in multiple drive bys, to area middle schools. The family is just now a mom & grown drug dealer son and a million drop bys, drug related.
Specialties of the white house (with a brand new garage going up out back, courtesy of drug money $$$) to house the busted son’s collection), are breaking and entering, following women to their cars at night for robbery and worse, beating up neighbors (a neighbor on the street reported the drug thugs lounging on his car and attacked him when he tried to stop it), smashing and grabbing ALL cars within 10 miles (I followed one of their packs one night and cars from other areas drive up, drop off a team of young thugs, who then car and house prowl the area, and are then picked up by the same car one hour later), selling to kids,
selling on school property, selling to minors, drug money laundering, stealing cars, moving stolen materials, recruitng new drug sellers, you name it.
Tired of some sawed off little macho maggot making 500K off your car? Your stuff? Your kids? Then watch the white house near the corner of 50th street and Meridian Ave No, the one with all the garbage on the porch. The mom works at a local sandwich shop, not really enough to afford the parade of new cars, clothes and now garage going up in back. Follow the drug deals and call the police. Identify the license plates of the millions of cars that come and go all the time
And bust the last one. THEN we will finally be able to run our businesses, and walk Greenlake and live, without the constant threat of being killed for a drug maggots daily quota.
uw.burke has a gun, maybe you guys could go on patrol together, following these guys – I bet they put posters up on poles sometimes!
2 things I’d like to know – since my car hasn’t been smashed-and-grabbed, does that mean my walks up to Zoko from 45th are greater than 20 miles, round trip? Holy cow, no wonder my feet get tired!! Also, could you explain how they make 500k off of a single car? I feel like I’m in the wrong business! ^_^
Seriously though, I’ve heard rumors about that house for a long time. Sounds like you’ve quite a set of experiences, and are quite frustrated. I hope things even out for you soon.
I was in this house during the robbery. I can explain the story. But ive been digging around looking for the news video from kiro 7, seattle times, or it was on youtube. If anyone can find it please let me know