Robberies make medical pot-selling a bust

S F Chron ^ | Aug. 29, 2005 | Phillip Matier

[radar101]

Unlike their mellow brethren in San Francisco, the half-dozen or so medical marijuana clubs that have sprouted up in the urban no-man's-land between San Leandro and Hayward have turned into something out of the Wild West.

There's been a rash of armed robberies, a shootout that left one robber dead, and the possible attempted hit of a worker for cooperating with police.

"I don't think this is what the voters had in mind when they passed the medical pot law, but that's what we're dealing with," said Alameda County Sheriff's Lt. Dale Amaral, whose Eden Township beat includes the 2 square miles of unincorporated land where most of the clubs are.

The motivation behind the robberies -- big cash and big marijuana.

Here's a summary of the incidents that have occurred in recent months.

The first big hit went down on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 6, at the Compassionate Collective of Alameda County, a medical marijuana club on Mission Boulevard near San Leandro. According to sheriff's reports, a team of armed hoods busted in, tied up everyone and robbed the place of about $50,000 in cash and an undisclosed amount of "product," i.e., marijuana.

The bandits didn't move fast enough, however, and were caught making their escape by Hayward police.

Last month, one of the same club's employees, while pulling into the parking lot, spied a masked man hiding in the bushes.

No sooner did the worker hit the gas than the masked figure sprang out and fired four slugs into the car.

The worker plowed through cyclone fence to make his getaway unharmed.

Sheriff's detectives suspect the shooting was in retaliation for the club cooperating with the cops on the Super Bowl robbery.

[radar101]

Trouble in paradise.

[clee1]

These clubs should have talked to some local dealers, to get the "tricks" of the trade down before going into business.

[fr_freak]

"I don't think this is what the voters had in mind when they passed the medical pot law, but that's what we're dealing with," said Alameda County Sheriff's Lt. Dale Amaral

The prohibition of marijuana, in contrast to the demand for it, makes it a valuable commodity on the black market. Anywhere these thugs can get it, they will, because there is still big money to be made. Putting the argument about whether it is right to legalize marijuana or not aside, the reality is that if it were legal to grow it in your own backyard (or even just to get it from commercial growers), a huge source of revenue for organized crime and gangs would dry up overnight.

[getsoutalive]

shhh.....dont try to bring logic to one of these threads, it only slows things down.

[Moonman62]

Who had any idea that there were so many sick people out there?

[fizziwig]

Kind of a modern day version of a speak easy, only its legal...probably should call them smoke easy's.

Pot is soooo sixties...they all need to get lives, grow up, and contribute to society....

[sharktrager]

If anyone watches the Showtime Series Weed, you can see why this happens. They are truly hurting the dealers' business. On the show they were selling what was considered prime pot, and doing it "legally".

[Drammach]

I'm sure if you could get the cops to admit it, there has been a rash of robberies at "suspected drug houses" throughout the area as well..

In fact, it would seem to me that robbing a place known to be a Medical Marijuana Club wouldn't be safer from a public awareness standpoint..
When robbing a local drug house, it's just a shoot-out at a local residence in some neighborhood..
Whereas this (robbing Medical MJ clubs) is sort of "in your face" and right out in the open..

Maybe the drug house operators are trying to shut down competition?