Smell of pot from chimney leads to record bust

[proteus_lives]

"A patrol cop with a sensitive schnoz was credited today with uprooting what authorities say is the biggest marijuana-growing operation in New Jersey's history."

"Police last month raided six homes - several of them $1 million McMansions - and seized more than $10 million worth of cannabis growing inside under artificial lights, authorities announced today."

"The bust might not have happened if Officer Thomas Lucasiewicz had been suffering from a head cold. The Monroe Township cop was on patrol Feb. 12 when he smelled burning marijuana in an upscale Middlesex County community."

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20100310_Smell_of_pot_from_chimney_leads_to_record_bust.html

[GreenTea]

1. Still a dangerous endeavor = Jail.

Why?

[Fumesucker]

4. Because our drug-war prison congressional complex requires grist for its mill..

And for the same reason as people made bathtub gin during alcohol Prohibition..

[Merlot]

2. Even if the cop did smell pot, can they enter with out a warrant?

If they were home growing with artificial lights, either the electrical bill or infared lights tipped off the police would be my guess. This story is just a cute cover.

Call me cynical.

[Echo In Light]

6. Could very well be. Sucks on toast either way.

[Viking12]

7. Infrared imaging is a 4th Amendment violation

KYLLO v. UNITED STATES
"Where, as here, the Government uses a device that is not in general public use, to explore details of a private home that would previously have been unknowable without physical intrusion, the surveillance is a Fourth Amendment "search," and is presumptively unreasonable without a warrant."
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=000&invol=99-8508

Many growers tap into the electricity lines above the meter to avoid detection.

[pipoman]

8. I am betting

the growers were burning the stalks and other byproducts in the fireplace. If so, it would be apparent which house was doing the burning and yes, that would certainly be enough to get a warrant or may even be probable cause as would hearing screaming coming from a house.

[On the Road]

12. Does the Smell of Burning Pot

equal probable cause? I don't know.

[jmowreader]

18. I think it would

If you walked past a McMansion and smelled burning marijuana from the street, you would definitely not think someone was sitting in there smoking one joint.

Lesson learned: If you are running an industrial grow operation in your McMansion, a wood chipper is a wise investment.

[Winterblues]

19. It is called "Probable Cause" and the "No Knock Policy"

:shrug: sort of like warrantless wire taps.

[walldude]

23. Not cynical, realist.

No fucking cop drove by a house and smelled "pot burning". You think people running that big a grow operation are that fucking stupid? Bullshit. Bet this gets thrown out of court.

[NecklyTyler]

3. Wouldn't it be nice if law enforcement actually apprehended dangerous criminals?

While the police are padding their resume with drug busts, child molesters and wife beaters are walking around free

[Locrian]

5. better yet

Throw some of those darlings of wall street into a dungeon for what they have dont to this country.

[Echo In Light]

9. It's apparently only a country of laws for the less fortunate

[pipoman]

11. Really?

child molesters and wife beaters are walking around free

Where? Where are child molesters and wife beaters allowed to roam in favor of jailing drug dealers?

This is a version of that ridiculous argument when stopped by a police officer, "why are you stopping me for speeding, aren't there ant real criminals out there for you to catch?", which is just the most idiotic cop cliche, followed closely by, "don't you know I am a tax payer? You work for me!".

[Fumesucker]

13. So you don't think the manpower put into fighting the drug war has any negative effect?

No negative effect on the fighting of other crimes that have an actual victim?

[Therellas]

15. um ..you can go online and see where all the child molester live.

right across the street.
in their houses.
pot puts you in prison.

[Fumesucker]

17. LOL.. Only the ones that have been caught so far..

Which was my point about manpower, if a cop is busy investigating pot growers they're not investigating some other crime that just might have an actual victim.

[pipoman]

22. No, actually I think we have more than enough police.

I (we?) really don't want cops out looking for something to do, they'll find something, weather it needs to be done or not, IMHO. So, in answer to your first question in post 13, no. They just employ more cops per/1,000 residents than used to be employed. And I am all for ending several aspects of the 'war on drugs'...but we simply must get rid of a bunch of cops simultaneously..we must!

[hobbit709]

14. -1

[pipoman]

24. -2.737

[frylock]

20. familiar with the chelsea king case at all?

gardner was in violation of his parole due to the fact that he lived too close to a school. the authorities decided not to imprison him because of overcrowding.

Runner and former state Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, who chaired a corrections oversight committee, said the department made a practice of not sending violators back to prison in an effort to ease crowding.

"This is proof they jeopardized public safety," said Spitzer, now an assistant Orange County district attorney. "They were simply rejecting what they considered a technical violation to reduce overcrowding."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/11/john-gardner-chelsea-king_0_n_495956.html

[pipoman]

25. This appears to be a case of prison overcrowding

not a shortage of police to investigate crime. I am all for dramatic and immediate reevaluation of all drug and pharmaceutical laws and eliminate overcrowding...tomorrow would be great.

Have you heard of the Carr brothers? This happened near me and actually changed my behavior since this incident....problem was prison overcrowding.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wichita_Massacre

[Fuzz]

10. That's right near me.

Damn.

[ShortnFiery]

16. Bummer Man!

:smoke:

[Blue_In_AK]

21. They should have made the leftovers into compost. n/t