cannabisnews.com: Head Shops Remain Open After Taking Hit from U.S. 





Head Shops Remain Open After Taking Hit from U.S. 
Posted by CN Staff on February 25, 2003 at 22:56:58 PT
By Torsten Ove and Ernie Hoffman, PG Staff Writers
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 
A day after federal authorities took away the bongs and marijuana pipes, it was clear that employees of Tela Ropa in Oakland and their customers didn't see eye-to-eye with the U.S. attorney general on the drug war. Still for sale: several bumper stickers extolling the virtues of using drugs, including one that read, "My clock is stuck at 4:20." The term "420," which originated in California 30 years ago among teens who smoked marijuana every day at 4:20 p.m., is a universal code of sorts for pot smokers. 
"Can I help you with something, sir?" asked a guy with blue hair behind the counter. Tela Ropa is still in business, selling non-drug-related items like clothing, candles and posters, but commerce is likely to take a hit in the coming months. The shop and its proprietor, Richard Kevin Jaussen, 48, are under federal indictment along with six other area head shops as part of a nationwide crackdown on drug paraphernalia sold on the Internet and in retail stores. U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan and Attorney General John Ashcroft on Monday announced the indictments of 55 people across the country, including top Internet distributors whose businesses have been shut down.Tela Ropa and the other local stores will remain open, Buchanan said yesterday, but all of the illegal paraphernalia has been confiscated by agents and police. Employees at several of the shops contacted by phone yesterday said they were still selling shirts, jewelry and other knickknacks, but said they couldn't talk about the indictments.A raid at one of the shops, Heads-N-Threads in North Huntingdon, led to additional arrests -- some of the easiest township police have ever made, according to Chief Charles Henaghan. "While we were there, we kind of got an added bonus," he said. "Customers were coming in to purchase the illegal items."To do that, they had to walk past two marked police cars outside the shop on U.S. Route 30. Inside, federal, state and local officers in uniforms were searching for paraphernalia.One woman walked up to a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent who was wearing a marked shirt, pointed to a pot pipe and told him that she wanted to buy a pipe "just like that." The pipe was in a bag marked "evidence."Some of the shoppers arrived carrying drugs or paraphernalia. Township police confiscated an unknown amount of suspected heroin and marijuana, plus several pot pipes and cash."It was almost hard to believe," Henaghan said. "I don't know how to characterize it -- as naivete or stupidity or whatever -- to walk into a store when you have uniformed officers standing there and try to buy something illegal from them. I really don't know what it says about our society."The customers made no effort to hide contraband they had when they walked in."One individual had the bag of marijuana sticking out of his back pocket," Henaghan said. Another had a large bag of marijuana in his clothing, along with several packets of heroin and more than $1,700 in cash. Others were carrying pot pipes. Police also confiscated a pizza box filled with marijuana.Township police arrested the following people on various state drug charges: Jeremiah S. Kuharic, 22, Brian K. Silvis, 22, and Rebecca L. Sillett, 22, all of Mount Pleasant; Dale E. Myers, 43, of Manor; A.M. Burgunder, 23, of Oakdale; David E. Teske, 21, of Bridgeville; John D. Petroy III, 35, of Greensburg; and Charles T. Heminger, 28, of North Huntingdon.The federal investigation shut down national distributors that supplied more than half of the country's drug paraphernalia, according to the government. The distributors sold their goods online, through catalogs or at head shops. Buchanan said yesterday that some of the distributors raked in millions from their operations. One had sales of $50 million a year. Prosecutors are seeking to seize property and assets owned by those charged, but the head shops themselves will not be taken. In general, small retail stores are housed in rented buildings, so the property can't be forfeited.Of the 35 indictments nationwide, 17 were handed up by a grand jury in Pittsburgh on Jan. 28. All were under seal until Monday's raids and arrests. Buchanan said all but one of the 27 defendants indicted here has had an initial appearance hearing in federal court and been released on bond. Ten are from Western Pennsylvania and work at head shops in Pittsburgh, Erie, Johnstown, North Huntingdon and Clarion.The federal investigation, dubbed "Operation Pipe Dreams," began in Pittsburgh during the prosecution of Akhil Kumar Mishra and his wife, Rajeshwari, who ran two shops Downtown. They were convicted in federal court in 2000 of selling illegal drug paraphernalia and conspiracy. According to an affidavit by Richard Nolan, one of the two lead DEA agents, the probe of the Mishras revealed numerous suppliers across the country who sold online and through catalogs.The trail led them to Heads-N-Threads, whose owners, Michael Anthony Deblasio, 24, and Tracie Lynn Zimmerman, 34, agreed to cooperate and turned over additional records of online sales, Internet addresses and credit card information. Sitting at computers, Nolan and other agents viewed various Web sites where the distributors were advertising and selling illegal merchandise. In July and August, for example, Nolan looked at a site controlled by Edward Ian Rothschild of Columbia, S.C., under the domain name: http://www.420Now.com -- where he saw such items for sale as a 15-inch water pipe for $59.99. Rothschild, who ran Edward Rothschild Entertainment Inc., did business under other Internet names, too, including: http://www.Gothicdungeon.com & http://www.420smile.com & http://www.Themallusa.comBy making controlled buys on the Web sites, agents were able to build their case against Rothschild, whom they identified as a national distributor. His Web sites have been shut down. Some of those indicted, however, were selling paraphernalia the old-fashioned way, over-the-counter. Note: Pipes, other paraphernalia confiscated in crackdown. Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA)Author: Torsten Ove and Ernie Hoffman, Post-Gazette Staff WritersPublished: Wednesday, February 26, 2003Copyright: 2003 PG PublishingContact: letters post-gazette.comWebsite: http://www.post-gazette.com/Related Articles:U.S. Hauls in Dealers of Bongs, Roach Clipshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15557.shtmlDrug-Paraphernalia Traffickers Out of Businesshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15555.shtmlU.S. Targets Purveyors Of Gear for Illicit Drugs http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15554.shtml
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Comment #4 posted by John Tyler on February 26, 2003 at 09:48:01 PT
fear zee police
"It was almost hard to believe," Henaghan said. "I don't know how to characterize it -- as naivete or stupidity or whatever -- to walk into a store when you have uniformed officers standing there and try to buy something illegal from them. I really don't know what it says about our society." Converting to a German accent Henaghan continued, "Ve vill teach zee people to fear zee police. Let zee peoples' terror begin. Take zem away for interrigation." 
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Comment #3 posted by TecHnoCult on February 26, 2003 at 07:56:24 PT
Kegan
You make a good point. I am sure there are plenty of gun control fanatics on this site, but people forget the most important reason we have a right to bear arms: to protect ourselves from our own government. It is a silent deterent that will make power hungry politicians think twice about totally pissing us all off.THC
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Comment #2 posted by Cannabis jarhead on February 26, 2003 at 07:52:21 PT
high alert(orange)
I think with everthing that has happen when the terror alert changes, the Cannabis friendly people of the world should take cover. Because the terrorist are on the hunt. So when the as*crofts and walters put up a terror warning, they are saying evil pot smokers of the world you will burn in the flames of DEA gunfire.You will have to repent your evil ways ,Kiss the feet of Hier BUSH and the ring of the Lord asscroft.
 Ever time the alert is raised they raid someplace that is doing no harm. So when the terror alerts are raised the US Gov. are looking for turban wearing evildoers but then the drug warriors go on a shooting spree. They have linked drugs and terrorism Because the drug war is terrorism.Cannabis Jarhead
sorry if I repeated myself but I'm Pi$$ed
Love My country and Fear the Government.
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Comment #1 posted by Kegan on February 26, 2003 at 04:38:26 PT:
Fear 
Oh my god..... the Citizens of the US are about to explode!Maybe the forces of evil were smart in letting one thing slip.... citizens with guns, means you can quickly start a civil war and implement a new government... and it is about time you did.Read some of the history of Nazi Germany, and see how embarassingly similar it is to US 2003.Canada will have to be ready for refugees.
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