Marijuana Being Shut Out of Santa Barbara After Feds' Medical Crackdown
Obama recently said it: "Big" marijuana business would not be immune from federal prosecution, even in medical weed states like California.
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Today the U.S. Attorney's Office in L.A. announced that the feds are walking that walk:
They raided four pot operations, filed legal papers to seize the assets of three, and warned 10 others to shut down or face the wrath of Obama. This all happened ...
... in the Santa Barbara County area, says a U.S. Attorney's Office statement. In fact, the office says, all medical marijuana businesses in S.B. "are now the subject of federal enforcement actions."
Details of the search-warrant raids were not forthcoming.
However, feds stated the following businesses were subject to asset-forfeiture lawsuits:
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Miramar Collective on Ortega Hill Road in Summerland, which local authorities estimate was generating annual profits of approximately $840,000 in 2009, and whose owner is currently being prosecuted by the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office on state narcotics charges;Pacific Coast Collective on North Milpas in Santa Barbara, whose operator is currently being prosecuted in state court and, even though called "not for profit," the business is incorporated and does not have non-profit status for tax purposes (a federal search warrant was executed yesterday at this location and at the residence of its suspected operator); and
An indoor marijuana farm on East Haley in Santa Barbara, where substandard and unpermitted electrical equipment has been used (federal and local authorities executed a federal search warrant today at this property and at the residence of its operator).
Ten other marijuana businesses, or owners of the property where they operate, were warned that what they're doing is illegal (or was illegal, since some have already shut down), according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The feds noted that they have already targeted more than 150 pot businesses in Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County and eastern Los Angeles County.
[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]
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