(Thanks to Hurherald for the story)
AUTHORITIES COMPLETE TWO DRUG SEIZURES IN CALHOUN
(09/13/2007)
Grantsville State Police with the help of the Calhoun Sheriff’s Department and WV National Guard aircraft have conduced two drug eradication events in Calhoun County, according to Detachment Commander Sgt. Jeff Skidmore.
“Officers confiscated 134 marijuana plants from four different locations near Russett Rd., a short distance from Steer Creek,” Skidmore said.
The plants were spotted with the help of a National Guard plane on July 6th.
Officers continued their efforts in an area near Leading Creek on August 29th.
“We confiscated 60 plants from two plots during that effort,” Skidmore said.
Skidmore asked Calhoun residents to report drug activity to the State Police or the Calhoun Sheriff’s Department.
“All reports will be held confidential,” he said.
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GOOD MORNING, CALHOUN COUNTY!
A bit of WV drug raid history for you this morning. In 1984, the pot choppers began to fly hot and heavy in WV in what was billed the new “DRUG WAR”, an attempt at *eradication of marijuana in the US. Thousands of plants were confiscated during these raids, and the county jails filled to capacity with peace-loving hippys. Every nook and cranny of extra space was utilized to store the evidence, with prisoners using bent coat hangers to fish pot out from under doors of closets and filing cabinets to kill boredom during their stay. A HUGE controversy got started in the “letters to the editor” section of the ROANE COUNTY REPORTER regarding this “war”, brought to the peaceful mountain folks back yards. Apparently, the MAJORITY of people who felt the need to state their opinions were 1. AGAINST the raids, and 2. Were obviously of a higher level of intellect than those who thought the raids were a good thing. The controversy spread to the Charleston Gazette and the Charleston TV station as well. The economy of these poor counties went belly-up over night. I still have nearly ALL the newspaper clippings from this time.
And this is when the REAL agenda of these raids first started to become apparent. Apparently, planes had flown earlier in the year and spotted the huge illegal gardens. Some folks had as many as 300 to 400 plants so they were not hard to spot. But the helicopters and raids did not start until HARVEST SEASON!
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*Eradication – the complete destruction of every trace of something.
obliteration
demolition, wipeout, destruction – an event (or the result of an event) that completely destroys something.
WV marijuana Laws:
Possession of marijuana is punishable by 90 days – 6 months in jail and a fine up to $1,000. Possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance is a felony and can result in imprisonment of not less than one year and not more than five years, or a fine of fifteen thousand dollars, or both.
Conviction of possession of less than 15 grams triggers an automatic conditional discharge. Conditional discharge does not apply to a defendant who has previously been convicted of any offense relating to narcotic drugs or marijuana.
Cultivation, delivery or sale is punishable by 1 – 5 years in prison and a fine up to $15,000. Sale to a minor or sale within 1,000 feet of a school requires a two-year mandatory minimum sentence for the sale.
Transportation of marijuana into the state with the intent to deliver is punishable by 1 – 5 years in prison and a fine up to $15,000.
Subsequent offenses double the possible penalties.
Operating an illegal drug paraphernalia business is punishable by 6 months – 1 year in jail and a fine up to $5,000.
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Now, if marijuana is illegal, and the MAIN goal is to ERADICATE this illegal PLANT, then WHY do you suppose that the authorities WAIT until HARVEST time to take down the crops? They knew for at least two months that the marijuana was there. But they did nothing. It was not ready yet.
Now, according to these FACTS, the actions by the authorities could be considered to be *COMPLICIT. They could also be considered a set-up. We all know if you get busted with just a small amount of pot you get a smaller charge, but if they can catch you with a LARGE amount, they can get you GOOD! Of course they could LIE about the amounts in order to make you look worse to the “general public” if you are an unlucky victim, but the bottom line is that MAYBE they could spot a patch in JULY or JUNE, and in the WAITING for it to be MATURE before they take it for themselves, the actual grower has plenty of opportunity to harvest it early for whatever reason, which takes NO pot off the “market” at all. It is a gamble on the authorities part. This proves the authorities are not trying to ERADICATE marijuana. They are GAMBLING, and if they WIN, they get the most valuable part of the crop with the LEAST amount of work.
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*Complicit-cum’plisit- adjective
1. Having complicity, involved with a crime or offence.
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We are told that in order for the police to gain a marijuana conviction, only a small amount of the actual marijuana is needed for “sampling”… This leaves room for nearly the ENTIRE remaining harvest to go “missing” with few questions asked.
WV State Troopers – Starting Salary is $2,106 per month; $2509 per month upon Academy graduation. According to my research, one good sized MATURE plant, grown OUTDOORS, should yield about four ounces of PRIMO bud. At approximately $300.00 per ounce (possibly more), 134 plants times 4 = 536 ounces times $300.00 = $160,800 worth of pot in ONE RAID… This same pot, if cut down in June or July when it was first discovered by authorities was worth a tiny fraction of this amount.
It is COMMON PRACTICE for the authorities to spot a pot patch and allow it to GROW ANOTHER 2 to 3 MONTHS before pulling a raid… How smart does one ordinary West Virginian need to be to see there is something FOUL about these practices? Do I need to include the definitions for “organized crime”, or “conspiracy” as well? If you are reading this, you are probably smart enough to figure the rest out by yourself.
Calhoun Underground 