Police | CalPotNews.com

Keen nose leads Modesto police to underground pot farm

Apr 102010

A Modesto police officer on routine patrol smelled a suspicious odor Friday that led him and narcotics investigators to two underground chambers used to grow marijuana underneath a backyard shed. Modesto police seized 255 marijuana plants found inside the underground growing rooms, the Modesto Bee reports. Investigators estimate the operation could produce $250,000 to $300,000 worth of marijuana every three months. Modesto police officer Randy Bolinger was on patrol when he caught the strong odor of pot coming from an area near Scenic Drive and Coffee Road, according to a Modesto police news release. Bolinger [...]

Woman, Nevada City man arrested with 24 pounds of pot in Nebraska

Law Enforcement

Apr 052010

The Nebraska State Patrol says 24 pounds of marijuana and two Californians were seized after a traffic stop on Interstate 80 near North Platte, Neb. A patrol news release Monday said a trooper stopped a car for speeding around 2:30 p.m. Saturday, four miles west of North Platte, The Union reports via the Associated Press. UPDATE: Authorities add meth possession charge North Platte Telegraph coverage A patrol dog taken to the scene led its handler to the vehicle’s trunk. The patrol says the marijuana was found in two vacuum-sealed bags secreted inside a duffel bag. [...]

Operator hurt as armed robbers hit Santa Rosa dispensary

Crime, Dispensaries, Law Enforcement, Medical marijuana

Apr 032010

Four armed robbers entered a Santa Rosa cannabis club Friday night and stole an undisclosed amount of marijuana, money and other items, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office said. The robbery was first reported to Sheriff’s officials at 7:25 p.m., the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat reports. The operator of the club, on the 3400 block of Santa Rosa Avenue, was treated for injuries and later released. Sheriff’s detectives are assisting in the investigation and no other information is available at this time. (Bud’s note: While the first post from the Press-Democrat doesn’t name the dispensary involved, [...]

Flash, ash and no hash: Ventura house shaken by butane explosion

Law Enforcement, Pot-pourri

Apr 032010

Ventura firefighters responded late Friday night to a report of a residential structure fire on the 300 block of Walnut Drive in Ventura. According to officials with the Ventura Fire Department, investigators determined that an explosion occurred when flammable butane vapors were ignited during an extraction process of THC from marijuana. The first firefighters to arrive reported no sign of fire, reports the Ventura County Star. Upon their initial investigation, it was determined that an explosion had occurred resulting in structural damage to the residence and a small fire had been extinguished by the resident. [...]

Police spokesman irked as legalization campaign airs first radio spots

Advocates, Initiatives, Law Enforcement, Legalization

Mar 302010

The campaign to legalize marijuana in California kicked off this week, just days after the initiative made the ballot, with a radio ad saying many law enforcement professionals know marijuana laws have failed and calling the measure “a common sense solution.” “Weed Wars” coverage from the Sacramento Bee The ad features Jeffrey Studdard, a former school district police officer and reserve L.A. County sheriff’s deputy, writes John Hoeffel of the Los Angeles Times. Studdard says that he has “seen firsthand that the current approach on cannabis is simply not working,” explaining that the fight against [...]

Cocaine Scene Investigation: S.F. drug lab shut down

Law Enforcement, Pot-pourri

Mar 192010

The number of narcotics cases that San Francisco prosecutors have dropped since the Police Department’s drug-lab scandal went public is up to 180, and the district attorney says more cases will be dismissed until the city’s police officers can perform basic tests on seized evidence in lieu of the closed lab. The Police Department closed the lab March 9 amid suspicions that a technician there had been skimming and using cocaine, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Since then, prosecutors say, about 30 cases a day have been dropped because no one has been able to [...]

Police ‘drug recognition experts’ used to detect pot DUIs

Courts, Law Enforcement, Medical marijuana, Pot-pourri

Feb 182010

From the stately Fresno Bee comes this dry but detailed story explaining how “drug recognition experts” — a.k.a. cops who attend the CHP’s training course — are used to determine whether a driver is impaired by marijuana or other drugs. The apparent news hook was a Fresno County sheriff’s deputy who got popped for a prescription-med DUI after blowing a tire on his patrol vehicle; he hasn’t been charged, so read the full Bee article here if you want the 411. ============== Police officers often catch drivers driving erratically but find a breathalyzer test shows [...]

LAPD releases Northridge dispensary robbery video

Courts, Dispensaries, Law Enforcement, Medical marijuana

Jan 282010

Los Angeles police released surveillance footage today that might help detectives identify a gunman who shot and robbed an employee at a Northridge medical marijuana clinic, the Los Angeles Times reports. The robber entered the clinic in the 8900 block of Reseda Boulevard shortly after 2 p.m. Jan. 8 and took the victim’s wallet and shot him with a handgun, the Los Angeles Police Department said. The employee was taken to a local hospital and listed in stable condition, according to police. The video footage shows a man pointing a gun at someone’s head as [...]

Chico Cannabis Club owner arrested after Craigslist contact

Collectives, Courts, Cultivation, Law Enforcement

Jan 162010

The owner and founder of a Butte County medical marijuana collective was arrested Friday evening on suspicion of illegally selling marijuana, the Chico Enterprise-Record reports. Joel Kelly Castle, 62, was arrested on suspicion of sales of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale, and for being armed in the commission of a felony. According to a press release issued by the Chico Police Department, Castle contacted a Craigslist user, asking if he could trade marijuana for an item listed for sale. The Craigslist user contacted police. Police then posed as the seller of the item and [...]

Redding police gear up for new pot law

Collectives, Courts, Cultivation, Dispensaries, Law Enforcement, Medical marijuana

Nov 202009

Redding police are preparing to enforce regulations designed to yank illicit marijuana dealers from the medical cannabis clubs that have sprouted around the city over the past eight months. “It will be a drain on our resources to manage this for a while, until we narrow down the medical marijuana collectives,” Police Chief Peter Hansen says in this Redding Record-Searchlight article. The ordinance, approved Tuesday on a 3-2 vote, has consumed at least 50 hours of the Police Department’s time already, Hansen said. The major work crunch will come in January when police begin conducting [...]