According to the report, Jose tells Jesus, “The package is ready,” though there is no explicit mention of drugs.
Police brought in a drug dog but no drugs were found. However, they did find a sack of cash.
Well, shyeah. Everyone knows hispanics don’t have money. They were CLEARLY up to something.
It’s pretty egregious, but here’s another thing that’s egregious: carrying $200,000 in a sack. I’m tempted to file this one under “dumbasses get in trouble for being dumbasses.” I think the money should go back to them, but I don’t blame the cops for initially taking the money and looking more closely at the brothers. If you are dancing on the courthouse steps in a diaper with a rubber chicken taped to your head, you aren’t breaking any laws per se but I sure as hell want the police to have a little chat with you.
H.
It’s not unusual for cops to do this - basically to keep the cops from taking the money they have to prove they made the money legally to a judge.
Lesson is: use cashier’s checks or electronic money transfers if you’re moving around large amounts of money. Moving it around in cash just shows you’re trying to evade the IRS, you’re a drug dealer, or something else equally as shady.
So How Is This Different From an Armed Robbery?
Earlier this month, police in Oakland County, Michigan raided a medical marijuana dispensary in the town of Oak Park. The deputies came in with guns drawn and bulletproof vests, with at least one wearing a mask.
They made no arrests, but they did clean the place out. The confiscated all of the dispensary’s cash on hand and—in a particularly thuggish touch—also took all of the cash from the wallets and purses of employees and patients.[…]
Under Michigan’s asset forfeiture law, 80 percent of the cash the deputies seized will go directly to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department. The other 20 percent goes to the local prosecutor. Medical marijuana is legal under Michigan law but is of course still illegal under federal law.
Good question.
tl;dr: On an anonymous tip, cops raid a guy’s house. They find a stem from a marijuana plant in his trashcan. So, of course, they take everything of value in his home, including his recording studio equipment, LCD tv, DVD collection, etc.
My life is better when I don’t read threads like these. I like living in a pretend world where this stuff doesn’t happen. I’m less angry.
You know how the cops knew he smoked pot? Because he had a recording studio in his house.
Well, this is a fine use of tax money. I’m in favor of legalization just so this wasteful bullshit can end.
Don’t worry, citizen! That operation ended up generating funds for the police, thanks to the seized contraband. If they were to perform more of these raids, they’d never to have ask for taxpayer money again.
(More) DC cops busted for buying stolen property.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/08/AR2011030805340.html
Policing for profit using highway robbery.