FBI Raids Mail Order Companies In Cincinnati, Seize “a/k/a/ Tommy Chong” DVDs

FBI Raids Mail Order Companies In Tri-state – Cincinnati breaking news, weather radar, traffic from 9News | Channel 9 WCPO.com
Federal agents raided two businesses in Northern Kentucky and Clermont County on Wednesday.

The businesses in Union Township and Newport specialize in detox products to help customers pass pre-employment drug tests.

Spectrum Labs is in the middle of the business district in Newport. On Wednesday morning, neighboring businesses couldn’t help but notice police and federal agents arriving at the 818 Monmouth Street.

“First we saw three Newport cops come up and the DEA and the FBI and they all ran in with their guns held up and then they came out and took off their vests,” said Natasha Luster, a witness.

A rental truck arrived a short time later and agents began removing dozens of boxes of files.

The FBI and DEA are not commenting on the specifics of their investigation. They would only say they were executing search warrants that are currently sealed.

No one has been arrested or charged.

The part of the story they aren’t telling you is that Spectrum Labs is the company that also is funding and distributing the documentary (“a/k/a/ Tommy Chong”) about Tommy Chong’s ordeal in the prosecution culminating in his imprisonment for nine months for selling bongs on the internet.

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a/k/a Tommy Chong

The force behind that prosecution was the United States Attorney appointed by George W. Bush to the Western District of Pennsylvania, Mary Beth Buchanan.

So, care to guess which US Attorney is behind this raid of Spectrum Labs and the seizure of the movie that paints Mary Beth Buchanan in an unflattering light?

TODAY ­ May 7, 2008: District Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan continues targeting Tommy Chong (“Cheech & Chong”), raiding his Spectrum Labs warehouse and confiscating DVDs.

Moments ago, Buchanan’s task force raided a warehouse where Chong was storing DVD copies of his documentary A/K/A TOMMY CHONG, a film chronicling Chong’s 2005 arrest by Buchanan for selling bongs over state lines. D.A. Buchanan has a reputation for chasing national headlines instead of criminals and has received much media attention for her prosecution of Tommy Chong.

In a hastily-written description of the raid, the director of the documentary, Josh Gilbert, told NORML in an email:

newsflash: 30 fully armed swat team commandos raided cincinnati office and held 5 overweight, middle aged women hostage while they emptied out their warehouse of piss testing agents; fake penises (the whizzinator); fake pee and a dvd about the feds busting tommy chong of cheech and chong…for selling bongs over the internet. all starring the same justice serving federal prosecutor, mary beth buchanan!

Be sure to download the Friday Stash for our interview with Tommy Chong about this breaking news story.