Last week, an investigation into a Tacoma medical marijuana dispensary (which is still illegal in this state) led to three raids by the West End Narcotics Enforcement Team – also known as WestNET. Two of the raids were in Tacoma, while a third was in Olalla, just west of Vashon Island. The Seattle Weekly reports on the Olalla raid:
Christine Casey, patient coordinator of North End Club 420, tells the Weekly that the detectives from the West Sound Narcotics Enforcement Team (WestNet) who came to her house in Olalla (west of Vashon Island) handcuffed her 14-year-old son for two hours and put a gun to his head. They also told the kid to say good-bye to his dad, Guy Casey, because the dispensary owner was going to prison.
And as the detectives looked for cash to prove that the dispensary was illegally profiting from pot sales, Casey says, they confiscated $80 that her 9-year-old daughter had received from her family for a straight-A report card. Where did they find it?
In the girl’s Mickey Mouse wallet, according to Casey. She also claims that the cops dumped out all her silverware, busted a hole in the wall, and broke appliances. She alleges too that the cops finger-wrote “I sell pot” in the dust covering the family’s Hummer, which the cops then seized. (WestNet did not return repeated calls seeking comment.)
It’s worth keeping in mind that WestNET is the same agency that allegedly tried to poison Bruce and Pamela Olson’s dogs before raiding their home in 2007. The dogs required $2,000 in vet bills. Bruce Olson, also of Olalla, was eventually acquitted of all charges against him after the police informant who claimed to have bought marijuana from Olson was deemed by the jury to have zero credibility.
Once again, WestNET is claiming that a “police operative” repeatedly bought marijuana from the Caseys without showing a medical marijuana authorization. The Caseys deny it. If the Caseys are telling the truth, it’s just another reason to put pressure on our state’s Congressional delegation to eliminate WestNET’s federal funding.
But that’s not the only wrongdoing being alleged here. Sensible Washington, the group running the I-1068 campaign, says that WestNET also seized a number of signed I-1068 petitions:
Sensible Washington has learned that one dozen signed copies of I-1068, the marijuana legalization initiative for Washington State of which Sensible Washington is the sponsor, were seized last week by the federally-funded WestNet drug task force. Our estimate is that 200 signatures are sitting in WestNet’s offices in Port Orchard, apparently seized as evidence during a series of raids against the North End Club 420 in Tacoma. The club is operating as a medical marijuana dispensary.
We have made repeated calls to WestNet’s office, but have yet to receive any assurance that the task force’s personnel have secured the signed petitions and that they plan to promptly return them to Sensible Washington.
I’m trying to determine if WestNET would be violating any specific laws by refusing to turn over signed petitions. I’ll update this post if I get an answer.
UPDATE: Josh Farley is reporting that WestNET will return the petitions.
UPDATE 2: The Port Orchard Independent still has its head in the sand.
Kudos to the West End Narcotics Enforcement Team for shutting down a flagrant abuse of the new law. Job well done, and cram that in your bong and smoke it Lee. :) Wwaaahhhaaa! Whoa! Dude!
@1
Mark,
I’m curious which part of WestNET’s actions here you’re most impressed by:
– terrifying a 14 year old
– stealing money from a 9 year old
– wasting taxpayer dollars by the truckload to arrest people who are no threat to greater society
-or-
– helping Mexican drug cartels get more customers in this state
Which is it?
so much for the end of the war on drugs
guess Kerlikwoske “mis-spoke”
http://online.wsj.com/article/.....17397.html
in 2007 the federal government gave this state over
$2 million for NETs
how much this year?
@2:
What, because some disgruntled criminal that got caught, being Christine Casey, says so it is truth? Absolutely not.
Come on Lee, I know even you can see that all of that statement is totally subjective and factless.
Means nothing, and her credibility is zero. Of course she does have a motive to fabricate. She’s also free to file a complaint against the cops if she wishes, and when it gets tossed you can buy me a beer.
You’re one of these “I hate cops until I need one” types right Lee? Typical. I suggest a vasectomy; we don’t need any more offspring from you. Although heavy pot use can make one sterile or have diminished sperm count. Funny justice.
‘Night all.
@4
One needs only look at the Columbia MO raid from a week or so ago (or any number of other raids) to know that things like what the Caseys describe are very common in drug raids. What they experienced isn’t even close to as bad as what many people endure (pets or children getting shot).
The worst thing (the confiscation of their vehicle) is pretty
easy to verify.
@4
You’re one of these “I hate cops until I need one” types right Lee?
No, I don’t hate cops. I hate thugs. I’m hoping we’ll find out in the next week or so which category these WestNET officers fall into.
Even the drug cops can see that the drug laws will soon be relaxed, and they are worried that they might be forced out of their cushy job and forced to work like regular cops do. To prove to the World that their cushy jobs are important, they pull this Nazi stuff to impress their like-minded superiors.
What is West NET? How are they funded? Under what law are they established? Are they subject to FOIA and/or the WA Open Public Records Act?
I always despise areas of the government like this, where you need a scorecard to tell the criminals from the victims.
@7
What is West NET? How are they funded?
WestNET is a federally funded drug task force. They’re comprised of federal, state, and local officers.
Are they subject to FOIA and/or the WA Open Public Records Act?
I’m not sure, but if someone can provide me an answer to that, I’ll update the original post.
original reporting, but man, this topic is deadly dull.
@9
If you’re looking for posts about how to wine and dine your livestock, this is not the right place.
@9
a handcuffed 14 year old with a gun put to his head?
not dull
possibly deadly
I hope someone recorded the odometer reading on the Hummer before it was seized. Stories from the street are that when you get a seized vehicle back from these guys after a court settlement or dismissal, thousands of miles are racked up on the seized vehicle without any maintenance or care.
@12
And that’s only if you get the car back at all.
And the drug war takes 4 more lives. Two police officers shot and two wounded in some sort of drug interdiction action in West Memphis AR. It sounds like the two wounded officers are in pretty bad shape. Can’t say I’m real shook up about the fate of the gun men.
Creepy update!
tipsters can remain anonymous and win awards
check out the focus on the word marijuana:
http://www.kitsapgov.com/sheri.....estnet.htm
WestNET are a bunch of fucking terrorists. Perhaps what needs to be done is to start filing lawsuits against them for the damage they do to innocents.
@15 better check that bogus program more carefully. From what I hear, a number of informants got totally screwed by WSNET promises. Notice the words “up to” before the “$5000.”
@14
Should read:
Two police officers shot and killed & two wounded in some sort of drug interdiction action in West Memphis AR.
Another isolated incident? I visited the club in question on several occasions and have personally witnessed people turned away for not having valid mmj paperwork.
I do not believe for one second that these guys are “drug dealers”
@6
Well said, Lee.
As a free society (or members of a non-free society that aspires to be so), we need to be VERY skeptical about who we empower to carry weapons and have the power of coercion, physical and otherwise.
Thanks for all the work you do bringing things like this and the Columbia MO atrocity to our attention.
I guess it’s easier to harass folks who operate semi-legally in the open; than solving real crimes. Remember this is Tacoma and the west Sound we’re talking about, not exactly violence free.
How come no one has applauded WestNet for taking a Hummer off the streets? Isn’t gasoline even more addictive than marijuana?
In their classical study of Hummer addiction, Ralph et al. found that twice as many Hummer owners had used pot as had used cocaine! Moreover, a count of dents on the Hummer, a very object9ive measure of the depth of addiction, showed that dent frequency was 16% greater amongst pot using Hummer users than amongst the potless drivers.
@17
not sure what you have “heard” but the right to face one’s accusers is a basic right and if snitch awards are <$5000 ???????? that is still money
agree the program is bogus
especially the focus on marijuana
but I bet that 14 year old boy found the effects
of the raid quite real
were im from drug dealers and cops are the same thing. the only reason they put them in jail is to steal there money and there dope. i bet those feds wouldnt be so tough robbin ppl in the ghetto without dem badges i hope everyone at westnet sucks a dick and dies quick
drug police abuse people all the time and get away wit it.
i think they should pass a law that allows us to shoot and kill any and all cops that rape our rights. ive noticed that white people always wanna tell everyone wat to do and how to do it like if its their business… why doesnt everyone Juss mind their own fuckin business and let people live?
america always gets in everyones business and then wonders why people hate dem. fuck white people! why dont they just go back to wak ass europe where they came from? i dont understand why no1 has kicked them out of the united states already
Ya suppose they took photos of the names and addresses…Oh we accidentally picked up the tv too.