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Paraphernalia:
ICE
Raids
South
Florida
Head
Shops
4/7/06
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle-old/430/iceraids.shtml
You would think the Department
of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) division,
formerly INS, would be busy fighting terrorism and securing the borders,
but you would be wrong. According to ICE, at least part of its mission
is to keep America bong-free.
Some of its special agents
spent last Friday serving federal search and seizure warrants against five
South Florida head shops, all located in the Coral Gables area. The
raids resulted in the seizure of 5,500 drug paraphernalia items worth more
than $250,000, ICE reported. The raiders didn't limit themselves
to pipes and bongs, however; they also seized rolling papers and stash
containers designed to look like commercial products, such as women's lipstick
tubes and pagers.
"These shops sell a dangerous
lie about drugs and drug use," said Jesus Torres, special agent-in-charge
for ICE in Miami. "It is obvious they want people to think its okay
to take drugs. This is simply unacceptable."
Under federal law, any bong
and any pipe not made of briar or corncob is considered drug paraphernalia,
whether or not it has actually been used for that purpose. Similarly,
other items that appear to be intended for use in consuming illegal drugs
can also be considered drug paraphernalia.
The raid is the latest in
Operation Up in Smoke -- and what's with the cutesy name, anyway? -- a
continuing ICE Miami initiative launched in December 2003 to go after businesses
that illegally import, manufacture, and distribute drug paraphernalia in
South Florida. It remains unclear why ICE has assigned itself the
mission of enforcing paraphernalia manufacture and distribution offenses
that are entirely domestic. Nonetheless, since the initiative began,
ICE special agents have served about 25 federal search warrants and seized
more than 85,000 items valued at more than $2 million, the agency boasted.
While no arrests have been
made, businesses have been put out of business. More search and seizure
warrants are coming down the pike, ICE said, noting that enforcing drug
paraphernalia laws "is a top priority for ICE."
-- END --
|
Issue #430
-- 4/7/06
Editorial:
Stopping
Bongs,
Not
Bombs
(Evidently)
|
Feature:
Measure
to
Make
Drug
Czar
Research
"Frankenstein
Fungus"
to
Destroy
Drug
Crops
Heads
to
the
Senate
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Exchange
Under
Attack,
But
May
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Out
Ahead
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Feature:
As
the
Well
Runs
Dry,
Texas
Drug
Task
Forces
Ride
Off
Into
the
Sunset
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Feedback:
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You
Read
Drug
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Chronicle?
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Drug
Violations
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Search
and
Seizure:
Cops,
School
District
to
Pay
Students
$1.2
Million
in
Goose
Creek
Raid
Settlement
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Paraphernalia:
ICE
Raids
South
Florida
Head
Shops
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Pain
Medicine:
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Doctor
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on
Bail
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of
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to
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Can't
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as
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Under
Fetal
Rights
Law,
Texas
Appeals
Court
Rules
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Aide
Lyn
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Dead
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81
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Weekly:
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Calendar
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