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Border Patrol Seizes $1.5 Million in Pot in Shipment of Christmas Bows

Border patrol officers discovered more than 3,000 pounds of marijuana hidden inside a shipment of Christmas package bows, officials said.

Border Patrol MarijuanaOn the afternoon of Aug. 28, a 28-year-old Mexican national tried to drive a 1998 Kenworth tractor across the border at Tijuana, officials said. The tractor pulled a trailer full of boxes masked as holiday bows.

The tractor and trailer were run through an imaging system at the border, and that check detected anomalies in the cargo, authorities said. Officers then inspected one of the boxes and found a “green-leafy substance” that later tested positive for cannabis.

Officers seized 209 large packages of marijuana from the trailer. Officials said the haul was valued at $1.5 million on the street.

The driver was detained at the border and booked at the Metropolitan Correctional Center. Officers seized the tractor and trailer.

Elsewhere in California

An Oakland man was arrested after a week-long investigation and accused of growing weed near a public park. Rory Dooley, 57, was charged with various drug crimes after his arrest Aug. 30.

The bust stemmed from an investigation that began Aug. 23, after local residents complained that marijuana plants were growing on a plot next to Great Oak Park.

Cops used electronic surveillance and said they captured images of Dooley tending to his crop. The raid netted just 10 plants.

Dooley was released on his own recognizance Aug. 30 with bail set at $75,000. He was charged with manufacture or distribution of cannabis, manufacturing or distributing cannabis within 1,000 feet of a school, manufacturing or distributing cannabis within 500 feet of a public park, misdemeanor marijuana possession, and paraphernalia possession.

A raid on such a small parcel of land may once have been an outrage. Now, even with legal pot approaching in California, it’s not unusual for federal and local police to target grows of just a few plants.

Judge Bars Marijuana Farmers Market

Marijuana Farmers MarketIn Los Angeles, a judge ruled that organizers of the California Heritage Market in Boyle Heights must close their marijuana farmers market. The judge issued a temporary injunction against the market Aug. 29.

The market was open to marijuana patients for several weekends earlier this year. Lines were long and crowds were large. But the city claims the market doesn’t comply with Measure D, the measure approved by voters last year that imposes new regulations on the medical pot industry in L.A.

The judge agreed and ruled that the sponsor behind the market, West Coast Collective violated the rules. The judge ordered the dispensary to close.

About Matt Brooks

Based in San Francisco, Matt is a journalist who has specialized in marijuana policy for more than five years. He provides regular news coverage on marijuanaandthelaw.com and californiamarijuanamarket.com.

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