Drugs & Prohibition

Jury Nullification Victory For New Jersey Weedman

"A jury found Ed 'NJWeedman' Forchion not guilty Thursday in the Rastafarian activist’s marijuana distribution case. The decision came after Forchion was nearly held in contempt of court in the morning as he delivered his closing argument. Forchion, formerly of Pemberton Township, tried to introduce his jury nullification argument into the closing, but was quickly stopped by Superior Court Judge Charles Delehey, who had barred any discussion of it." Continue reading →

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Now Mexico Bans Cash Transactions

"Outgoing Mexican President Felipe Calderon has signed into law a ban on large cash transactions. Under the law, a Specialized Unit in Financial Analysis operating within the Attorney General's Office will be created to investigate financial operations 'that are related to resources of unknown origin.' For real estate transactions, cash payments of more than a half million pesos ($38,750) will be forbidden and, for automobiles or items like jewelry, art, and lottery tickets, cash payments of more than 200,000 pesos ($15,500) will be forbidden. The law carries a minimum penalty of five years in prison." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNow Mexico Bans Cash Transactions

‘Three Strikes of Injustice’

"The study showed that more than 4,000 inmates in California are serving life sentences for nonviolent offenses under the three-strikes law. Although judges have sentencing discretion in a very narrow band of three-strikes cases, the reality is that judges almost universally consider themselves bound under California law to impose a life sentence for a third felony offense, no matter how minor. We also learned that the law is disproportionately applied to minorities, the mentally ill and the poor." Continue reading →

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British couple who helped Kenyan village with cannabis profits jailed

"Michael Foster, 62, and Susan Cooper, 63, made hundreds of thousands of pounds from a sophisticated cannabis growing operation at their Lincolnshire farmhouse, which was only discovered when a police officer chasing a burglar recognised the distinctive smell. The couple paid for live-saving surgery for a villager near Mombasa, Kenya, purchased computers for an eye hospital, and paid for schooling for children, the court heard." Continue reading →

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Medical Marijuana User Dies In Jail; Jailers Accused Him Of Faking Food Allergy

"Rose Saffioti was sure she was doing the right thing when she encouraged her son to turn himself over to police. An arrest warrant for Michael Saffioti had been issued after he missed a court date. But after one night in jail, he was dead. Now Snohomish County could face a lawsuit over a food allergy that may have been ignored. After eating oatmeal in jail, Michael couldn't breathe. Other inmates say Michael begged for help and was accused of faking it. The autopsy found his severe reaction to milk products contributed to his death." Continue reading →

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In Gem County, Idaho, It’s a Crime to be a “Constitutionalist”

"When Michael came out of the house he was forced to kneel with his back to a deputy who was pointing the muzzle of an assault rifle at his head. With Michael in handcuffs and Marcela under armed guard, the deputies – led by Sheriff Chuck Rolland – conducted an illegal search of the home, finding what they thought was a marijuana growing operation. It proved to be an indoor nursery for organic tomatoes. The pretext for this assault was a 911 call from a neighbor reporting that Michael and Marcela had an argument. En route, one of the deputies suggested that a paramilitary approach would be justified, saying of Michael: 'He’s a constitutionalist.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIn Gem County, Idaho, It’s a Crime to be a “Constitutionalist”

How the Feds Manufacture “Criminals”

"Undercover IRS informants posing as drug dealers offered to buy cars with cash they described as proceeds from narcotics deals. After Joseph Johnson was arrested and charged with money laundering, federal prosecutor Wendy Olson offered him a deal in exchange for testifying against Kurt Barnes. To enhance Johnson’s credibility, Olson sought to prevent disclosure of Johnson’s prior felony convictions – which is essentially the same act for which Barnes now faces a prison term. The difference here is that Olson, unlike Barnes, actually succeeded in stealing something – in this case, a year of a man’s life. Continue reading →

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Key evidence in Maricopa County Jail death suit of Deborah Braillard ‘destroyed’

"Deborah Braillard was an insulin dependent diabetic who was arrested on a minor drug charge when her car broke down on New Year’s Day 2005. During three agonizing days in custody at the Estrella Jail, she was deprived of insulin and denied medical care despite pleas from fellow detainees. By the time she was rushed to the hospital, Deborah Braillard had slipped into a diabetic coma. The ABC15 Investigators have obtained court records, documents and a judge’s ruling that show key evidence in the case of Deborah Braillard was lost, deleted or 'destroyed' by MCSO in an attempt to cover up the death of a Valley mother." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingKey evidence in Maricopa County Jail death suit of Deborah Braillard ‘destroyed’

Former NJ police officer sentenced to 20 months

"A former Camden police officer has been sentenced to 20 months in federal prison for stealing money, illegally searching homes, planting evidence and lying in court. Thirty-two-year-old Kevin Parry was one of four officers arrested on corruption-related charges in 2010. In 2009 and 2010, the Camden County Prosecutor's Office dropped charges in 210 cases in which some or all of the officers were involved." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFormer NJ police officer sentenced to 20 months

Good Morning, Sweetheart: Now You’re On Fire, Courtesy of the Local Police

"The child was asleep in her upstairs bedroom when a stranger lobbed an incendiary grenade into her home at about 6:00 a.m. October 9. Within seconds the 12-year-old girl had suffered first- and second-degree burns. Her father, who had been awakened by an insistent pounding on the front door, arrived in the living room just in time to see a wolf pack of armed intruders break it down. He dodged another grenade that “blew the nails out of the drywall” and left a “large bowl-shaped dent in the wall,” the father later recalled. This act of state terrorism was carried out by a SWAT team attached to the City-County Special Investigations Unit (CCIU) in Billings, Montana." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGood Morning, Sweetheart: Now You’re On Fire, Courtesy of the Local Police