A string of large marijuana busts across the country culminates with the seizing of $2.5 worth of weed in Chicago.
It is never a good day when you are busted with pot, but some are worse than others. Even as more states lessen penalties for marijuana; nationwide arrests continue to rise. There have been a string of marijuana arrests recently that illustrate the sliding scale of drug war justice in America.
First legendary singer/songwriter Willie Nelson was busted with potagain. He was found to be in possession when his tour bus was pulled over and the cop smelled marijuana and propose him to pass a drug test. Even though he was in Texas, which is famous for harsh drug penalties, he only received a fine. Including court costs, Willie only has to pay about $800 and he can mail it in from the road. Willie Nelson is famous for previously claiming multiple pounds of marijuana for personal use. His reasoning, I’m Willie Nelson.
In Winnipeg two bumbling marijuana growers were recently busted when they called the police in for a domestic disturbance. When the police arrived the argument was resulting in the man leaving. What was still at the house, however, was over 250 marijuana plants and 500 immature clones. The Winnipeg police estimate that the seized marijuana is valued at over $880,000. The couple has been released pending a promise to reappear.
Lisette Lee of L.A. was recently arrested for transporting over 500 pounds of marijuana from LA to Ohio. The marijuana was divided into 23 bales and stored in Mrs. Lees luggage. She then hired a charter plane to fly her to Ohio. Her mistake, apparently, was when at the airport she loaded her luggage into three different cars. She claimed that this was her fourth trip of this type. At her trial she was sentenced to six years behind bars.
Never to be outdone in criminality Chicago provides the largest recent marijuana bust. This week Chicago police have seized more then 800 pounds of marijuana from a Mr. Hugo Sanchez and Mr. Arnulfo Saldana. They were pulled over in a routine traffic stop when police found 87,000 grams of marijuana and over $57,000 cash. After issuing a warrant, police searched the mens home and found much more marijuana and cash. The total cash value of the marijuana seized is $2.5 million. Mr. Saldana is being held on $350,000 bond and Mr. Sanchez is being held on $100,000 bond.
With large busts like the ones in Ohio and Chicago, one would get the impression we are winning the War on Drugs. These cases are really only a drop in the vast sea of drugs in our country. Today, there are more drugs of higher quality available than ever before. The enormous sums of money that are associated with the drug trade will guarantee its continued existence. The time has come for our country to have a serious discussion on the effectiveness of the drug war.