Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Large candy purchases investigated by FBI
N.J. news ^ | October 20, 2001 | MITCHEL MADDUX and PETER POCHNA

Posted on 10/20/2001 9:23:21 PM PDT by concerned about politics

Large candy purchases investigated by FBI

The FBI said Friday that it is investigating the cash purchase of "large quantities" of candy from Costco stores in Hackensack and Wayne.

"We have been advised and we are looking into the incident of a gentleman buying large quantities of candy," said Sandra Carroll, an FBI spokeswoman in Newark.

Carroll declined to identify the purchaser, but indicated that he is in federal custody for immigration law reasons not related to the purchase of the candy.

"I cannot comment on INS detainees," Carroll said.

Carroll said it would be premature to draw conclusions about the purchaser's intent for the candy, which agents had not found by Friday night. She declined to describe the candy.

"We have no evidence or information for us to suspect there is any reason to cancel scheduled events," Carroll said when asked if the FBI had concerns about the safety of Halloween. "However, the public is encouraged to remain alert but calm."

Hackensack police took a report from Costco about the candy purchase at the Hackensack store at 11:40 a.m. Wednesday. The police then contacted the FBI.

"They told us to stay out of it," said Hackensack Police Chief Charles "Ken" Zisa.

Zisa said the FBI had already learned about the purchase. A local Costco manager had reported the incident to corporate headquarters, near Seattle, and had sent a videotape from a store security camera, Zisa said.

An official at Costco's corporate headquarters said Friday night that no one was available to comment on the matter. Another Costco official, who declined to be identified, said such large purchases from the chain of wholesale grocery and household goods stores are not uncommon.

Kerry Gill, a spokesman for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service in Newark, said he could not discuss the case because of confidentiality policies.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS:
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-52 next last
To: concerned about politics
...made baggies of odd change...

I like it. Since I'm doing it ahead, I could snazz them up a bit. (Plus, I have lots of odd change to get rid of.) Thanks!

21 posted on 10/20/2001 11:03:27 PM PDT by germanshepherd
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: concerned about politics
PS Or how about have a big bowl of pennies laced with some larger coins, and they get to take as big a fistful as they can manage to take out with one hand?
22 posted on 10/20/2001 11:07:35 PM PDT by germanshepherd
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: cherry
Oh boy, I'm sooo worried for the children.
I wish I could talk parents into keeping them home, but I can't. I'll be so worried about them all.
Many parents may not hear about this. I hope it turns out to be nothing like so many other scares.
I hope the guy just owned a little store or something.
23 posted on 10/20/2001 11:09:01 PM PDT by concerned about politics
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: concerned about politics
Was this a "hefty" man?
24 posted on 10/20/2001 11:11:31 PM PDT by operation clinton cleanup
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: germanshepherd
I like the big bowl of coins. That way the kids "get a whole handfull." It will be different, and that will make it fun.
Some dollar stores sell packages of little toys too. like I always say, two heads are more numerous than one!
25 posted on 10/20/2001 11:12:58 PM PDT by concerned about politics
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: cherry
Thanks for posting this. It is nearly to the status of Urban Myth.
26 posted on 10/20/2001 11:14:56 PM PDT by RightWhale
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: concerned about politics
Hope they caught some of these creeps. It's remarkable that the tradition of trick-or-treating has survived in this day and age. Americans at heart are a people of good will. Unfortunately the world is not getting any better.

Meanwhile, we've decided give out baked beans and cabbage this year. The food is healthy and everyone can have a gas.

27 posted on 10/20/2001 11:18:47 PM PDT by Fester Chugabrew
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: concerned about politics
Thanks for the good job Costco. We are in a new age and eternal vigilance is unfortunately our new lot in life.
28 posted on 10/20/2001 11:19:41 PM PDT by TheLion
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: concerned about politics
There was a thread here earlier about someone refunding some very large candy purchases a few days back. Imagine someone buying candy by the thousands and poisoning it, then bringing it back to the store for a refund. That was the jist of the story. Hope the FBI looked into that case too.
29 posted on 10/20/2001 11:20:10 PM PDT by Professional
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: concerned about politics
Several years ago, when there was a 'candy scare' at Halloween, we filled a large brandy snifter with pennies, and let the kids take a handful.
The little kids had no problem, but the bigger kids couldn't get their fist out of the snifter, unless they opened their hand, and released some of the pennies.
30 posted on 10/20/2001 11:34:26 PM PDT by Ed Condon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: concerned about politics
...little toys...

Also a good idea, though most of those little toys are from China and I have a thing about that, although giving out toys made in China is a heck of a lot better than giving out poisoned candy! What do you think of handing out flag pins. Maybe not fun enough? (I can almost picture a little kid with a quizzical expression... "What's this for?")

31 posted on 10/20/2001 11:37:47 PM PDT by germanshepherd
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: lelio
"How much candy is 'a lot'"

You sitting down?

About $80,000 worth.

More:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/552988/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/552863/posts

http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/candy.htm

Status: TRUE

Note that in one case, a large amount was *returned*, and put back on the shelf after being "checked". Did they check *every* piece of it? Impossible, IMO.

I am advising everyone I know to avoid purchasing any halloween candy, and to avoid letting their kids accept any, "even from people we know", since it can be tainted at the retail level.

Look at the "antrax model" -- reams and reams of mailings of "white powder", and a few mailings of anthrax mixed in with the lot.

If Moustafa buys several thousand dollars worth of candy, then injects a tip-of-a-needle's worth of smallpox into, oh, let's say one out of every two hundred pieces of candy, there is no way to detect it. None at all. The report (in a link above) that the health department examined the candy and said it looked OK, man, oh man, how naive can people be? Did they test each piece for every known contaminant? Is there any way to test for a microgram or two of smallpox virus buried in a candy bar?

It is not worth gambling with innocent lives. These vermin have demonstrated a complete willingness to murder the innocent with abandon. And they are on record as saying that they will hit us in our "heartland". When I was raising my kids, they were where my "heart" was.

We need to take this war seriously. We have fifth columnists running amok. In another thread, it was reported that Bush signed a directive that took the handcuffs off the CIA, so that they can go about their business of hunting down and killing the terrorists. I have to wonder if they're still restricted from operating in the "domestic theater".

The fifth column has to wonder about that too. If we're lucky, some of 'em will stroke out from the stress of "wondering about it", and the rest of 'em will interpret their deaths as the work of the CIA. :)

32 posted on 10/20/2001 11:46:41 PM PDT by Don Joe
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: tbeatty
INS violations? Do you think the alert Costco employees may have engaged in racial profiling?

Yes, I am sure this chocolate bandit isn't a canadian. America, and Army of one.

33 posted on 10/20/2001 11:58:41 PM PDT by VA Advogado
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Fester Chugabrew
Meanwhile, we've decided give out baked beans and cabbage this year.

You have to be very popular in the neighborhood.

34 posted on 10/21/2001 12:02:56 AM PDT by VA Advogado
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: VA Advogado
"You have to be very popular in the neighborhood."

In all truth, I've proven myself to be remarkably proficient in gaining the ire of my fellowmen. Your sarcasm is entirely on the mark.

35 posted on 10/21/2001 12:14:38 AM PDT by Fester Chugabrew
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: Don Joe; Thinkin' Gal; Prodigal Daughter; RnMomof7; TrueBeliever9
"Mommas don't let your children go trick or treating" bump.
36 posted on 10/21/2001 1:58:30 AM PDT by 2sheep
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: concerned about politics
it had to be sammy davis, jr.!!
37 posted on 10/21/2001 2:10:41 AM PDT by rockfish59
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: concerned about politics
When I was a child I remember one Saturday morning my father and I went out to feed our chickens and gather some eggs for the customary family weekend breakfast. I figure that we must have had at least 20-30 of them (chickens). "They sure are quiet this morning" my dad mumbled to himself with a very visibly concerned frown on his face. As we neared the coop there was kind of a foul odor hanging in the still morning air. He slowly opened the coop door. "Stay outside!" he barked as he stepped inside. There was a lot of yelling of some very angry words that I was not used to hearing coming from my fathers mouth. I ran inside to find out what was wrong. What I saw inside was not very pretty. It was very obvious that our much anticipated Saturday morning breakfast would have to wait. Suddenly I did not have an appetite any more because inside I gazed upon all of our chickens strewn about, ravaged and bloody....motionless and very very dead. "Foxes" my dad repeated over and over... "Damn foxes." I am starting to experience the same sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. Just as I did so many years ago. Only this time I seem to feel much like those poor chickens that went to rest one evening and never lived another day again. Only this time on a much much larger scale. I try pinching myself in hopes of waking myself up from this bad dream about some terrorist foxes running loose inside the only home that we have. This home that we call America, the land of the free. These foxes are here dwelling inside our country waiting to shed the blood of the innocents.
38 posted on 10/21/2001 2:17:03 AM PDT by R_Kangel
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cherry
This is what I recently heard from a very respected person who works with a large mortgage company that deals across the country:...basically a close friend who she works with has a sister who lives back east near NY and had a boyfriend of MIddle- eastern heritage.....he left abruptly before the WTC bombings but had sent her a letter that said to stay away from the WTC's on Sept.11 and not to go to the malls on Halloween...the FBI has that letter now....so it is no joke...they are planning something....

It's an urban legend. See here:

http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/mallrisk.htm

39 posted on 10/21/2001 2:18:43 AM PDT by NYCVirago
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: R_Kangel
Same experience here, but for us it was a raccoon. We heard a noise in the middle of the night, hubby grabbed the pistol and we ran out to the chicken coop. I threw open the door and hubby put 12 bullets into the raccoon before it fell from the perches onto the floor with its 2 dozen victims.

I can understand if something (or someone) is hungry. But this THING was just killing for the sake of killing. Thus it is with the terrorists. They kill because they LOVE to kill. It gives them a feeling of power over their victims. The "Islam" excuse is just a veneer. These scum would find a way to practice murder and mayhem no matter what religion or culture they espoused.

For an EXCELLENT look at a repressive Muslim culture, read The Haj by Leon Uris. He made the point that the Moslem men were really idolaters, for they worship their own male organs.

40 posted on 10/21/2001 2:32:55 AM PDT by petuniasevan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 38 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-52 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson