California, Siskiyou

[Midnight toker]

Montague man
arrested again for
marijuana possession

By BRAD SMITH
Daily News Staff Writer
The Siskiyou Daily News


MONTAGUE — A Montague man already facing trial for growing more than 650 marijuana plants and other charges has been arrested again.

Michael Colin Smith, age 50 of Montague, was arrested by the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office Marijuana Eradication Unit detectives at his residence on Modoc Lane off of County Road A-12 on Tuesday.

He was booked into Siskiyou County Jail charged with cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale and unlawful possession of ammunition.

Smith is currently in custody with bail set at $25,000.00.

“These were fully mature plants with mature buds,” SCSO Lieutenant Jim Betts said. “The plants were seven, eight feet tall. Very healthy.”

Detectives confiscated 64 marijuana plants from an outdoor garden on the property. Five plants in the drying process were confiscated as well as processed marijuana and .22 caliber ammunition.

Smith, a convicted felon, is not allowed to possess ammunition.

Betts said that some suspicious activity and Smith’s own admission to an MEU detective that he was growing marijuana put him “back on the radar.”



Smith was arrested on April 12 of this year after a search warrant was served at the residence and approximately 655 marijuana plants from an outside marijuana plantation, approximately 292 marijuana plants and seedlings from inside the residence, approximately 3 pounds of processed marijuana and shake from various parts of the house and outbuildings were seized.

Much of the processed marijuana seized in April was packaged in individual bags.

Various packaging materials, $2,800 in cash, several expired medical marijuana recommendations and other paraphernalia were also found.

[palmspringsbum]

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Sheriff’s department receives its share

By BRAD SMITH
Daily News Staff Writer
Published: Monday, October 23, 2006 6:17 PM CDT
The Siskiyou Daily News

<table class=posttable align=right width=180><tr><td class=postcell><img class=postimg src=bin/riggins_rick.jpg></td></tr><tr><td class=postcap>Sheriff Rick Riggins, right, accepts a $40,000 check from US Attorney McGregor Scott on Friday.</td></tr></table>YREKA — The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office received a check for $40,000 from the federal government on Friday. The money, part of the federal property forfeiture policy, was presented to sheriff Rick Riggins by U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott.

“In 2003, there was a raid on a marijuana grow,” Scott explained. “It was on private land. The case was prosecuted at the federal level. There was property forfeiture involved and that property was sold.”

The U.S. Attorney added that in most forfeiture cases, the split between federal and other law enforcement agencies is “60-40 or 80-20, with the other agencies receiving the lion’s share. It’s a nice chunk of change for the sheriff.”

Riggins was grateful for the check.

“This will help to pay for deputies’ overtime, funds for equipment or education and training programs,” Riggins said.

The sheriff took time to thank Scott for his efforts.

“He’s done a lot for us, pushing for more support to help us in our drug interdiction efforts,” Riggins said. “He’s been in D.C., lobbying for us to get more funding and anything else we can get.”

“Sheriff Riggins and other sheriffs here in the West have been, more or less, have been on their own,” Scott said. “These cartels have been operating on federal lands and that makes it a federal issue. It shouldn’t be Sheriff Riggins’ problem to deal with alone.”

Scott pointed out large marijuana operations found near Redding and others throughout northern California, especially Siskiyou County. A “small plantation” of more than 5,000 marijuana plants was found on U.S. Forest Service land near Montague.

Scott said he’s been working harder to get more federal support for local law enforcement agencies’ drug interdiction operations. “Hopefully, more federal agents will be our in the field, right alongside local law enforcement officers.”

Riggins said that politicians in Washington, D.C., are finally taking notice of the cartels’ incursion on federal lands. “The recent media exposure we’ve received has helped. It’s the boost that we’ve needed.”

Scott also took time to address the issue of Proposition 215 and those who are allegedly abusing the medicinal cannabis law.

“It’s a topical issue and a very important one,” Scott said. He said that federal law enforcement agencies have been targeting so-called “‘cannabis clubs’” selling marijuana to those with Prop 215 ‘patients’ because they are illegal, according to both state and federal laws.”

Such cannabis clubs are making millions with these illegal sales, Scott said. “All they are doing is hiding behind Prop 215 and selling dope.”

Other than the cannabis clubs, Scott said that the federal government has been looking into cases of individuals who were found growing dozens even scores of marijuana plants and claiming them for medicinal use.

“One case, a husband and wife were growing hundreds of plants and claiming all of them were for medical use,” Scott said. “Hundreds . . . that’s way too much.”

Scott believes that Prop 215 needs to be looked at more closely.

“The people of California voted for Prop 215 and it is the law,” Scott stated. “That being said, Prop 215 is a law, a system that needs fixing. It is completely broken.” Scott said that it is very easy for “healthy, able-bodied young men to get a 215 recommendation.”

Scott said that if medicinal cannabis is to be the will of the Californian electorate, then the system needs to be fixed, even with the passage of SB 420.

“I would like to see something worked out,” Scott said

[palmspringsbum]

Dunsmuir residents arrested in marijuana cultivation


The Redding Record-Searchlight
By Record Searchlight staff
Friday, January 18, 2008

Three Dunsmuir residents have been arrested on suspicion of growing marijuana, a Siskiyou County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman said Thursday.

Michael Brasch, 56, and Mary Brasch, 48, were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of cultivating marijuana, and possessing marijuana and drugs, spokeswoman Susan Gravenkamp said.

The arrests stem from a September probation search of the Brasch's home. Michael Brasch previously was convicted of marijuana sales. Authorities said they found 37 marijuana plants, marijuana, hashish and methadone tablets during the search.

The couple and their daughter have medical marijuana recommendations, but authorities said they had more marijuana than allowed.

In a separate incident, Garrett Binns, 39, of Dunsmuir was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of growing marijuana, Gravenkamp said.

Binns, who also has a medical marijuana recommendation, had 31 marijuana plants, authorities said.

Police said they discovered the plants when they came to his house for a medical call in October.

Binns was released from jail and has a January court date, Gravenkamp said.