Dea raids in illinois

[EFS]

Just Curious if anyone has any more info on the raid that went down a couple days ago in chicago slash illinois area? Heard there were more than 15 stores that got felony para charges. Seems rather ironic it went down the same day there bill passed allowing personal possesion of 15 grams passed.

[daveabr]

any news links? i can't find any

[EFS]

No reference other than the store owner in chicago that told me he just got out of jail.

[daveabr]

damn. sorry to hear.

not doubting the story, just wanted some info on what went down.

[EFS]

Yea That is what i am looking for as well. Just got the basics from the store owner i deal with in chicago.

[Boozeclues]

If its true, Fuck. I cant find anything on it anywhere though.

[spiralout]

it is all on face book... there is no news in the mainstream.. it did happen and is continuing to happen... made is closed until further notice and there are small shops in Southern IL that have been charged... lots of Import stores along with Secrets were all arrested Tuesday...

it is no coincidence that they decriminalized under 15g the same day they made multiple felony arrests for intent to distribute para.

grinders, water pieces, vaporizers were the target from what i can tell

two steps forward one step back...

[EFS]

Nick what is the vibe in wisco especially your area? Do you have concerns about the show??

[spiralout]

i always have concerns about the show, to say i do not would make me irresponsible as a show promoter. madison is a pretty laid back place with hard drugs running rampent. i think that concentrate products are close to on their way out at Glassroots... maybe like an 80/20 thing.. not sure

i do know that this was calculated and mapped out and i would bet not over yet in the state of IL

[bridging boro glass]

yikes! thank you for the info though...

[Boozeclues]

fuck

[kc-216]

I just heard about it today.. thats all I heard also is that 15 shops got raided. guess no trips to chicago in my near future

[ALIEN!]

too close to home. Not liking the raids all over the US lately. Have bad feelings about the future. Stay locked and loaded good people.

[Aussie]

Just wondering, isn't this the kind of thing that always happens over there close to elections?

stay safe everyone!

[ALIEN!]

Shit always goes haywire in an election year here, but the last time this shit went down was shortly AFTER Der Fuhrer Bush took office. Seems like Obama's camp will stop at nothing to pander to right leaning swing voters. This shit keeps up and Ill sell everything but my torch and move my happy ass to Europe and sell beads to Amerikan tourists. I'd probly make a better living anyway.

[Aussie]

Snake, the only problem with that, that I can see, is that the Europeans import their beads from China. I suggest if you're going to Europe, sell your torch as well and lay in a bigger stock of Chinese beads, it's cheaper and less time consuming and you'll cut your overheads and increase your profit margin. Then go to Venice and sell those Chinese beads to Amerikan tourists like all the other shops in Venice do.

[ALIEN!]

heh, yeah, but its not all about the big money for me. Plus I'd probly want to do some sort of live "see the glassblower do his thing" I couldn't stop thinking about doing that when I was in Ireland. I would move there in a heartbeat if I had the means to do it. So beautiful, awesome people, great drink and food, weather is outstanding, plus an awesome tourism economy. Plus its far far away from Amerika, a HUGE bonus.

[sasch74]

heh, yeah, but its not all about the big money for me. Plus I'd probly want to do some sort of live "see the glassblower do his thing" I couldn't stop thinking about doing that when I was in Ireland. I would move there in a heartbeat if I had the means to do it. So beautiful, awesome people, great drink and food, weather is outstanding, plus an awesome tourism economy. Plus its far far away from Amerika, a HUGE bonus.

America used to be further away, getting closer and closer:D

Actually I wish it was so close I could walk over there and return home for a good european dinner!

What about that: beadmaking on a european street while the US customers watch from over the border...

Sorry for the BS post, Germany's soccer team is out of the European Championship, please bare with me, I will stfu right now!

[Boozeclues]

While looking for more stories on this I came across this article from the 80's http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-09-05/news/8901100384_1_pipes-paraphernalia-head-shops

[glassblowingBiker]

i cant find any info Out there on this Links ? please thanks Jeff

[Mr. Wonka]

Possibly related:

There's no mention of bath salts, but the DEA is going after spice / K2 (http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/pressrel/pr061912.html)

Tom

[ALIEN!]

I just love how they're calling it "synthetic MJ".

[Collin]

The Only think i have heard is it was CPD. Not DEA !!!

[Dom]

This def went down. I dont have any information but it happened..

[Torch-Bug]

Pics or GTFO

[daveabr]

I was thinking it may have been local laws reaction to the new ticketing for possession law they just passed in Chitown

[Boozeclues]

I was thinking it may have been local laws reaction to the new ticketing for possession law they just passed in Chitown

Thats what I was thinking also. My fear is that they were talking about making "Paraphernalia" a ticketable offense too, my worry is cash strapped Chicago is going to go after shops hard now

[Boozeclues]

Been a few days, anymore info anyone?

[spiralout]

there prelims are tomorrow

[Icarus]

there prelims are tomorrow

Spiralout, do you mean their primaries?


I may have the complete wrong of this, but I think that if there is any trouble for us as an industry, we're going to see it this summer and fall in the lead up to the November elections.

[STROKER]

hope you are wrong icky. but it sure is a likely scenario to unfold during elections...

[glassnewb]

^^^ I think spiralout means preliminary hearings for those busted are scheduled for Tuesday

[Icarus]

^^^ I think spiralout means preliminary hearings for those busted are scheduled for Tuesday

Oh, that makes much more sense. I thought it seemed like a very odd time for primaries. Still gave me a chance to voice that piece of concern that I've been mulling over for a good while.

[Sparkey]

I did a pretty good search in news.google.com and couldn't find anything for busts in Chicago, but did see shops in the suburbs and southern Illinois getting raided under the pretense of the K2 and spice products.

Conversations with shop owners in Chicago basically said the city was schizophrenic on the subject. Shops have licenses and pay substantial taxes, then when it is politically convenient, they raid them, steal their stock and fine the crap out of them. My recollection is that there was a priest (who I believe was later busted for pedophilia) that was using the issue of pipes to get into the newspaper.

I heard that from Stacy up at Adams Apple on the north side. If he's still there, drop by and show him your work. Good guy.

[Boozeclues]

I heard that from Stacy up at Adams Apple on the north side. If he's still there, drop by and show him your work. Good guy.

I like him, hes old school and the real deal, not like those shops on Clark.

[EFS]

This sounds wierd to say but from what i heard is maybe this is a good thing? Sounds like they were going after import glass. The owner i work with there said he was confused by the whole thing and not sure where it is going but said all they took or cared about was import glass and he is not worried about business. Who know's???

The only place i sell to in chicago is secrets so not sure if this is accurate for all affected by this? Would like to hear any other info if anybody has any to share.

[kc-216]

stacys cool but he spends to much time going through prodo. I end up being there for an hour and a half for not a huge sale. good guy but ive taken to not calling him if I have other stops to make unless I have time

[spiralout]

the only shop i sell to in chicago is Secrets... he has been arrested 5 times now for this BS and has beaten it 4 times going on 5... gotta give respect where respect is due

[Sketchball]

If it were a political ploy I would think that there would be some news coverage of the raids. OPD was essentially a government publicity stunt with all of the Chong business.

This just seems like some shady workings of the DEA in their own right. Every state has their own colony of them so maybe the different branches/states/factions take focus on different stuff??

The no-press thing seems indicative of the fact that they aren't trying to shake people up and aren't doing it for some kind of republican pandering shake-down during election season. It seems to me that they are trying to stay under the radar. What that means - I have no idea.

Since this is only being passed around via word of mouth and Facebook, please keep everyone updated with what's going down.

[Boozeclues]

I found this video while searching for stuff too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCyJe2smeVA . I guess the Chicago Customs and Border protection confiscated $750,000 worth of one hitters/grinders about 6 months ago.

But anyways if they were just going after imports they wouldnt have shut down MADE.

[spiralout]

who shut made down? are you sure they are not just closed for the time being?

[VertigoGlass]

I sent chris a message on facebook and he said they had closed for the day of the raids to lay low and that they were not raided or shut down and that they are after the bathsalts. He says they are open but even more cautious.

[Boozeclues]

That is good news, Their Facebook status from the day this all went down was very ominous.


Good riddance to bath salts.

[spiralout]

^^^^

but not to BHO? what a funny fun and funtastic world we live in

[VertigoGlass]

I highly doubt that head shops in chi town are selling BHO

[mer]

really, vert? i believe spiralout is referring to oil rigs, products. it's next in line after spice/salt on the list of bullshit they are going to come after us for. we are forever trying to keep glassroots about the glass and these legal distractions come one after another threatening to bathe us in negative attention. the oil scene at dfo this year was begging to get busted. concentrates are not even covered by medicinal laws in most states. dabkids are kinda out of control in public and they don't seem to mind ptfo and fish right in front of everybody at the shows. i guarantee i will not let glassroots turn in to what dfo has.

[VertigoGlass]

To me there is a big difference in saying a shop sells oil rigs and selling BHO itself. I Have slowed my oil rid production if not stopped it completely, I dont really like the oil scene and think its disgusting what zombies it turns people into. I agree that the DFO was over run by oil and sad that they couldnt be respectful and atleast smoke in the green room areas.

[drew1492]

If they start coming after oil rigs can we blame HMK?

[hashmasta-kut]

only if they have the curve on it. the domes is toros fault.

[Boozeclues]

Personally I see a huge difference between bathsalts and BHO. To me the dabkids are just that, kids. They do too much too fast and get stupid no matter what they are doing.

[Icarus]

If they start coming after oil rigs can we blame HMK?

Perhaps this is what that whole "You'll thank me later" thing is about.

[TlkQ]

"You must spread some rep around before giving it to Icarus again"

[hashmasta-kut]

hey i cant help it if my method of intake is excellent, and therefore copied by virtually everyone, ( Jlee, MNP, the chinese, etc, etc..) I didnt push this on the world, they just take it. cant blame me for being helpful, its not my fault it works so good.

[TlkQ]

How do you deal with the chaffing from stroking yourself so hard HMK? I hear menthol Gold Bond does wonders.

[Icarus]

hey i cant help it if my method of intake is excellent, and therefore copied by virtually everyone, ( Jlee, MNP, the chinese, etc, etc..) I didnt push this on the world, they just take it. cant blame me for being helpful, its not my fault it works so good.

I don't know, a bent tube?

I think I might have found some prior art:

https://web.tradekorea.com/upload_file/prod/marketing/mkt_files/company/s/skms/img/oimg_GC00465063_CA00465064.jpg

[MUPH]

hey i cant help it if my method of intake is excellent, and therefore copied by virtually everyone, ( Jlee, MNP, the chinese, etc, etc..) I didnt push this on the world, they just take it. cant blame me for being helpful, its not my fault it works so good.

No one cares man, stay on your little cloud if you think you still invented that..

To think that BHO has had a positive effect on the pipe community is just incorrect (IMO). Look at the difference in possession laws between flowers and BHO and then you do the math. Its different in every state but the penalties for possession of BHO are much more severe than flowers. There is no grey area on what rigs/extractors are used for. I find it hard to believe that anyone will use one for a substance that is legal opposed to a tobacco pipe. View it in the eyes of law enforcement instead of a user and hopefully you'll be able to open your eyes.

Once salts/spices are done, law enforcement will need something new to try to regulate and remove.. is it really that hard to see what will be next?

[KT-Old School Glass]

To think that BHO has had a positive effect on the pipe community is just incorrect (IMO). Look at the difference in possession laws between flowers and BHO and then you do the math. Its different in every state but the penalties for possession of BHO are much more severe than flowers. There is no grey area on what rigs/extractors are used for. I find it hard to believe that anyone will use one for a substance that is legal opposed to a tobacco pipe. View it in the eyes of law enforcement instead of a user and hopefully you'll be able to open your eyes.

Once salts/spices are done, law enforcement will need something new to try to regulate and remove.. is it really that hard to see what will be next?

This is what I've been trying to say for LONG time now...

[B.C. Creations]

^^my thoughts exactly.....when i had my retail store open, there was only a couple things i couldnt sell as per issued by the local chief of police. any highables and oil set ups. so i think its not too far out from being their next target.

[Boozeclues]

Once salts/spices are done, law enforcement will need something new to try to regulate and remove.. is it really that hard to see what will be next?

You really think any drug will ever be "done" ? Hopefully though they spend their money combating real problems like all these kids in high school shooting heroin. Heroin is on the rise again and a actual problem. So is meth. I would put dabbing on the bottom of my threat list if I was the DEA

[uglyglass]

hey guys, it's Ed from Maade. just wanted to hop on here and confirm that we are fine, weren't involved in any police action. We don't really have much info and police have not released any. So, we're just left here waiting to see what comes out of this. Given the DEA's hyper aggressive crackdown on bath salts and spice lately, It's hard for me to believe that these chicago raids weren't involved in someway. But like I said, we really have no idea...

[drew1492]

You really think any drug will ever be "done" ? Hopefully though they spend their money combating real problems like all these kids in high school shooting heroin. Heroin is on the rise again and a actual problem. So is meth. I would put dabbing on the bottom of my threat list if I was the DEA

Meth will never be eliminated unless it is replaced. You can cook a batch for $5.33 my mom was a drug counselor who had a few meth heads arguing about how cheap you could make a batch.

It is so horrible in the mid west that people drill into the side of anhydrous tanks. That shit will shrink a dollar bill to 3/4 its size if you spill it on it from sucking all the moisture out, and it will do about the same thing to your body.

[Super Phunk]

No one cares man, stay on your little cloud if you think you still invented that..

To think that BHO has had a positive effect on the pipe community is just incorrect (IMO). Look at the difference in possession laws between flowers and BHO and then you do the math. Its different in every state but the penalties for possession of BHO are much more severe than flowers. There is no grey area on what rigs/extractors are used for. I find it hard to believe that anyone will use one for a substance that is legal opposed to a tobacco pipe. View it in the eyes of law enforcement instead of a user and hopefully you'll be able to open your eyes.

Once salts/spices are done, law enforcement will need something new to try to regulate and remove.. is it really that hard to see what will be next?

give me a freakin break, do you really believe that people are smoking tobacco out of your pipes any more than they are smoking aromatherapy oils out of my rigs??

[Super Phunk]

and who really gives two shits about the laws anyway, dont forget those glass tobacco pipes you make ARE illegal, but when have we ever let that stop us? No reason to start now.

[Samson]

It's a frigging DEEP rabbit hole indeed! On all fronts. I'm with Mer, the more you know, the better you'll be in the long run.

[Boozeclues]

So from what I heard they went to secrets and arrested the owner and went to the store across the street too but the owner wasn't there.

They were looking for spice/salts specifically but then confiscated vaporizers and water pipes also maybe so they didn't leave empty handed.

[KT-Old School Glass]

give me a freakin break, do you really believe that people are smoking tobacco out of your pipes any more than they are smoking aromatherapy oils out of my rigs??

It's not what we "believe", it's what we have to label and classify our art/craft to be able to sell it in the eyes of the law.


and who really gives two shits about the laws anyway, dont forget those glass tobacco pipes you make ARE illegal, but when have we ever let that stop us? No reason to start now.

It is this mentality that will, eventually, make it so that WE ALL have no place to sell our work because the authorities will close all of the retail outlets. I don't know about you, but I do not want to have to sell my glass out of my trench coat like a drug dealer.

You may not like it, but we do have to play by their rules for the time being. You can't just say "fuck all the laws" and they go away. We have to organize and go about things through the correct channels to accomplish what is needed.

[Kevin Bumble]

DRY SNICH?^^ 3UP just think then post......

[HoneyCombOver]

Reading this thread is really depressing. "Drug Paraphenalia" is a joke. Functional pipes can be made from anything. Cans, bottles, plumbing parts, the list goes on and on. Should we then ban all of these things as well? Making glass unavailable is not stopping anyone from smoking.

Best of luck to all that were affected by this garbage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M8vei3L0L8