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Three Men Facing Charges After Marijuana Bust
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department narcotics detectives Wednesday concluded a monthlong investigation into suspected illegal marijuana cultivators and traffickers in Santa Barbara County.
Detectives were originally alerted to the suspects when they intercepted a parcel containing marijuana that was being shipped to New York. Detectives served three search warrants, including residences in the 2100 block of East Valley Road in Montecito, the 100 block of Verona Avenue in Goleta and the 100 block of Valencia Road in Summerland.
During the service of the search warrants Wednesday, detectives contacted Misha Aaron Ford, 35, of Summerland; Donald Bullick, 60, of Montecito; and Michael Shapiro, 69, of Goleta, and found more than 400 active marijuana plants in sophisticated indoor and outdoor marijuana gardens.
Additionally, detectives seized five pounds of processed marijuana with a street value of $20,000, 4 grams of cocaine with a street value of $400, a usable amount of psilocybin, several ecstasy pills and about $18,000 in cash.
Authorities said evidence at the residences showed that all three suspects were illegally cultivating and selling the marijuana outside the scope of Proposition 215.
During the investigation, authorities said Ford sold marijuana openly in the presence of an undercover officer. Additionally, Ford and Shapiro were shipping pounds of the processed marijuana to the East Coast, including New York and New Jersey, officers said. The total value of the marijuana plants seized during the investigation was estimated at $800,000.
Ford was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail with bail set at $30,000 because of violations. He faces charges of conspiracy, cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sales, possession of cocaine, possession of ecstasy and transportation of marijuana.
Bullick faces charges of conspiracy, cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sales and possession of psilocybin.
Charges submitted to the District Attorney’s Office for Shapiro included conspiracy, cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sales and transportation of marijuana.
Bullick and Shapiro were cited and released.
— Drew Sugars is spokesman for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
Comments
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» on 07.04.09 @ 10:01 AM
Congratulations to the Sheriff’s Department for another hollow victory in the Drug War.
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» on 07.05.09 @ 02:49 PM
Marijuana prohibition has been a total failure and is perhaps this country’s greatest mistake. Not only has it created criminals out of nearly a third of the country’s populace, it costs our society billions of dollars every year, creates a strain on our prison system, and has little or no effect on marijuana use in the US. In some cases, prosecuting marijuana use has turned non-violent, middle class kids into violent and unpredictable, career criminals. Once a person has a criminal conviction on their record, they are far less likely to find a good job and become a useful member of society. Other countries with more liberal drug laws have much lower rates of drug addiction among their people. I invite you to my web-page devoted to raising awareness on the assault on our civil liberties: http://freethegods.blogspot.com/
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» on 07.06.09 @ 03:23 AM
Clinton and Gore puffed. George Bush too, Obama as well. So why are we hassling people still? Bullick has a medical marijuana card and should be left alone like millions of our other citizens. Go bust the gangs and meth dealers and leave the marijuana growers alone. Why waste Sheriff department time and resources on this? The state of Cali and the City of SB are broke and this is what they spend our tax dollars on? Shame on you!
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» on 07.07.09 @ 06:39 PM
Greg,
If you only knew how much $$$$$$ people like Bullick made selling medical marijuana to kids in New York and Jersey. Nice try though.
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» on 07.09.09 @ 09:36 AM
Brett,
How much money do you think the people who manufacture Tylenol make?
It helps people and so does marijuana. I have chronic pain diagnosed by a prominent SB doctor. I don’t want to become a vicodin addict so I smoke pot and it relieves the pain. I’m over 21 so why does the govt. try and make me a criminal when I buy or smoke it?
Let’s spend our police efforts on crimes with victims rather than pot smokers.
When is the USA going to grow up and face the reality? Probably it will take another generation.
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» on 07.12.09 @ 02:33 AM
Greg,
While I may agree with some of your views, the law enforcement officers must enforce what the current laws and DA’s office dictate. I just think it is not the Sherrif’s Dept.‘s fault. If the laws were changed we all would be happy and the cops could go after other things.
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» on 02.18.10 @ 12:39 PM
I have to agree with Brett. I am in favor of reforming the laws governing pot but until that time as long as laws exist it is the job of law enforcement to uphold those laws. Please remember they also uncovered 4 grams of cocaine with a street value of $400, a usable amount of psilocybin, several ecstasy pills and about $18,000 in cash. So, these guys were not just growing/providing medical marijuana.
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