DEA has been monitoring Home Depots to bust growers since at least 2007

taipanspunk

Active Member
...chances are it was a tip DEA received... to my knowledge total number of people employed by DEA is just under 11k (agents and supporting staff)... that's about the same size of Los Angeles Police Department Officers (for one city)...
 

Medical Grade

Well-Known Member
http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-9th-circuit/1497005.html

Here's the guts of what you need to know, the tactics of your DEA. One more for GO TORONTO eh?

"On May 28, 2007, a Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) special agent noticed a group of men purchasing a large quantity of fertilizer from a Home Depot.   Recognizing the fertilizer as a type frequently used to grow marijuana, he followed the men as they left the store and saw them drive away in a silver 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee.   Law enforcement later identified one of the men as Juan Pineda-Moreno, the owner of the Jeep.

In June, DEA agents obtained information that Pineda-Moreno and his associates had purchased large quantities of groceries, irrigation equipment, and deer repellant at several stores.   On several of these occasions, the group traveled in Pineda-Moreno's Jeep. Agents eventually followed these individuals to a trailer home Pineda-Moreno was renting at the time.

After learning where Pineda-Moreno lived, agents escalated their investigation.   Over a four-month period, agents repeatedly monitored Pineda-Moreno's Jeep using various types of mobile tracking devices.   Each device was about the size of a bar of soap and had a magnet affixed to its side, allowing it to be attached to the underside of a car.

Agents installed these devices on the underside of Pineda-Moreno's Jeep on seven different occasions.   On four of these occasions, the vehicle was parked on a public street in front of Pineda-Moreno's home.   On one occasion, it was located in a public parking lot.   On the other two occasions, the Jeep was parked in Pineda-Moreno's driveway, a few feet from the side of his trailer.   The driveway leading up to the trailer was open;  agents did not observe any fence, gate, or “No Trespassing” signs indicating that they were not to enter the property.   The agents entered Pineda-Moreno's driveway between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m. and attached the tracking devices to the Jeep. Once in place, the tracking devices recorded and logged the precise movements of the vehicle.   Some of these devices permitted agents to access the information remotely, while others required them to remove the device from the vehicle and download the information directly.

On September 12, 2007, information from a mobile tracking device alerted agents that Pineda-Moreno's vehicle was leaving a suspected marijuana grow site.   Agents followed the Jeep, pulled it over, and smelled the odor of marijuana emanating from a passenger in the backseat of the vehicle.   The agents contacted immigration authorities, who arrested all three individuals in the vehicle for violations of immigration laws.   Pineda-Moreno subsequently consented to a search of his vehicle and home.   In Pineda-Moreno's trailer, agents found two large garbage bags full of marijuana."

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I'm glad to be Canadian some days.
i didnt read the everyones comments.. but i think the take away from that story is that government can walk on your property and affix GPS tracking equipment to your vehicles and it is legal..

not the home depot story.. LOL you make it sound like dea is sitting out side of every homedepot
 

shnkrmn

Well-Known Member
exactly. Do you know there are 2242 Home Depot stores in the USA? And they are open 15 hours a day? How much would it cost just to fund the payroll of DEA agents observing Mexican fertilizer purchasers?????

i didnt read the everyones comments.. but i think the take away from that story is that government can walk on your property and affix GPS tracking equipment to your vehicles and it is legal..

not the home depot story.. LOL you make it sound like dea is sitting out side of every homedepot
 

incognegro999

Well-Known Member
Old ass thread haha. Could it be they monitor large scale purchases of fertilizer because that is how you make strong explosives, like the type used in the OKC bombing ie timothy mcveigh? its basically just fert and diesel fuel prolly alot easier to track fert than diesel. Someone might have said this but Im not reading a five page thread from 1 1/2 years ago haha.
 

RawBudzski

Well-Known Member
If police are watching some1 at a HomeDepot. Its BECAUSE HOME DEPOTS Employees/Managment Contacted them for suspicious frequent purchases. Such as, ONLY BUYING 5Gal Buckets + Bulk Ferts.
 

bobbypyn

Well-Known Member
Old ass thread haha. Could it be they monitor large scale purchases of fertilizer because that is how you make strong explosives, like the type used in the OKC bombing ie timothy mcveigh? its basically just fert and diesel fuel prolly alot easier to track fert than diesel. Someone might have said this but Im not reading a five page thread from 1 1/2 years ago haha.
my thoughts as well. all large fert purchases are monitored. Trust that shit.
 

HydroDawg421

Well-Known Member
The Supreme Court just ruled LEO's cannot attach a GPS tracking device to a vehicle without a search warrant. This will get thrown out of reversed upon appeal.
 
the only reason the dea was able to do that is because the were illigal immigrants and already breaking the law. they do not have the same rights a u.s citizen would have. if this guy was legal american no judge in the u.s would allow this to happen because a guy bought soil for his (tomattoes) they dont know.
 
if u think the dea has the resources to moniter track and follow u ur crazy. have u seen mexico lately im pretty sure they have there hands full. local cops different story they never have anything better to do but there resources r also to limited. they may get luckly and stumble upon but thats it...... without dea u would have crackheads and dope fiens breaking into ur house everyday...actually i take that back...stuff would be good and u would have alot of dead dope fiens...(dea leave pot alone)
 

HydroDawg421

Well-Known Member
the only reason the dea was able to do that is because the were illigal immigrants and already breaking the law. they do not have the same rights a u.s citizen would have. if this guy was legal american no judge in the u.s would allow this to happen because a guy bought soil for his (tomattoes) they dont know.
Constitutional Rights aren't based on citizenship. EVERYONE has a Constitutional Right against illegal search/seizure and attaching a GPS device without a warrant is unconstitutional as recently confirmed by SCOTUS.
 

eyesky

Active Member
With hydro supply shops even in states with no MM, some how I doubt Home Depot is high on the watch list for growers! Maybe by Home Land Security for terrorists who buy large amounts of ferts to make a bomb....
 

sfttailpaul

Active Member
Looking at your above post, how hard do think the DEA would have to look to find say YOU? Are you that fucking stupid to post on a public forum, never mind I guess you are........Cause you did....
Totally, totally agree and like what you wrote bro'.
I know, I know, this is a 2 Y.O. post, sorry, I couldn't contain myself
 

Pat the stoner

New Member
Employees of such places will report and are trained to report suspicious purchases to LEOs . Not just for growing but pipe caps for makeshift expl devices .
 
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