Asian Dispensary Owners In Court
On June 22, 2005, less than three weeks after the Gonzales v. Raich decision giving federal authorities the power to prosecute medical cannabis users and caregivers, three San Francisco dispensaries were raided by the DEA. Assisted by the San Francisco Police Department, federal agents arrested twenty people who were indicted on charges ranging from marijuana cultivation to money laundering.
Most of those arrested were Asian and the DEA claimed that the defendants were part of an "Asian Mafia." Lawyers representing the defendants have filed motions to dismiss the charges based on selective prosecution. On Friday, February 16, the accused will have a hearing at 11 am in front of Judge Susan Illston in U.S. District Court, 450 Golden Gate, San Francisco. I will be blogging an account of the proceedings here.
