Cops rake in millions from drug busts - Today’s Paper > Local News | Bakersfield.com - Kern County news, events, shopping & search
It’s the largest seizure of drug money in Kern County Sheriff’s Department narcotics team history — and the department might get to keep most of nearly $900,000, officials say.

Late last month, the department seized the cash when three men with business ties in Bakersfield attempted to buy 40 kilos of cocaine from an undercover agent.

If it’s proven that the cash is indeed drug money, it could be used by law enforcement to buy such things as shotguns, surveillance equipment and police dogs, as in past years. Drug money has also been used to fund drug and gang prevention programs.

It’s called asset forfeiture, and officials say it’s necessary to disrupt criminal organizations that hurt the community, and at the same time give back to that community and help law agencies fight more crime.

Asset forfeiture essentially takes the profit out of crime, officials say, depriving criminals of the proceeds from illegal activity.

“We want to get the money and drugs off of the street,” added Sgt. Otis Whinery, who worked on the $900,000 bust.

…and into our pockets.  Asset forfeiture is doing nothing to take the profit out of crime.  Prohibition creates the profit in the drug trade, and for every dealer’s assets you seize, another springs up to seize the massive profits.  Asset forfeiture re-distributes the profits of prohibition to the law enforcement side so the battles can escalate.  Everyone who wants drugs continues to get drugs, we lose more liberties, the violence increases, and we create a profit motive for policing — what’s going to buy the sheriff a new set of tasers, solving rape cases or busting drug dealers?

Volcano pot farmer given 20-year term | HonoluluAdvertiser.com | The Honolulu Advertiser
HILO, Hawai’i — A Big Island man was sentenced to up to 20 years in prison yesterday for commercial promotion of marijuana, the only case in recent memory where a first conviction in a marijuana case prompted such a long sentence.

Volcano resident David Finley Jr., 65, was arrested Jan. 29, 2007, in a raid on his Volcano ranch that turned up three indoor growing operations on the property, including a greenhouse attached to Finley’s home, equipment for manufacturing hashish and more than 75 pounds of dried marijuana and other drugs.

The dried marijuana found on the property included 127 sealed 1-ounce packets labeled with prices of $280 to $300 each, according to court records.

Finley pleaded guilty on Feb. 14 to two counts of commercial promotion of marijuana, and yesterday told Hilo Circuit Judge Glenn Hara that “I’m terribly sorry for what I’ve done.”

“I know I’ve done wrong, and I have to be responsible for that,” he said.

More than 90 letters of support were submitted to Hara asking for leniency, including letters from members of Finley’s church, his childhood friends, college friends and others.

Finley’s lawyer Brian De Lima asked that Finley be sentenced to probation, but Hara told Finley that “any sentence other than prison would undermine the community’s respect for the law.” He then imposed two 20-year terms that will run concurrently.

Prosecutors also filed to seize the Volcano ranch in a forfeiture, and De Lima said the Finley family will pay $85,000 to settle that case.

Two twenty year terms for gardening?  240 months!  Judge Hara, do you know that the average incarceration for murder and non-negligent manslaughter is only 232 months?  I hope we all feel safer, knowing that this 65-year-old churchgoing grandfather will probably die in prison.  That oughta send a message to the community, huh, Judge Hara?

The judge asked why a person with Finley’s background would be a commercial marijuana grower.  Uh, did you catch that part about an ounce of a dried weed costing about as much as pure palladium mined from the earth?  It’s the prohibition that creates the profits that leads to three indoor grow operations.

The war on marijuana is just a money-making venture for everyone involved.  Finley made money selling the marijuana, now law enforcement and the government get to make some money from asset forfeiture and the $85,000 fine