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55 Charged in Drug
Paraphernalia Sales
Mon Feb 24,11:55 AM
ET
A federal grand
jury in western Pennsylvania handed up indictments against 27 people
as part of "Operation Pipe Dreams," an investigation stretching from
Pittsburgh to Phoenix to southern California, Attorney General John
Ashcroft (news - web sites) said.
Another nine people
were charged in four grand jury indictments returned in Des Moines,
Iowa, under "Operation Headhunter," which involved paraphernalia
marketed nationwide by distributors in Michigan, California and
Texas.
In all, 55 people
were named in nearly three dozen indictments returned throughout the
country.
Federal law makes
it a crime to sell products mainly intended for the use of illegal
drugs, including such things as bongs, marijuana pipes, "roach"
clips, miniature spoons and scales. Those charged with selling and
conspiring to sell such items face up to three years on prison and
maximum fines of $250,000.
A search warrant in
the Iowa case turned up more than $2 million in illegal
paraphernalia, authorities said.
Ashcroft said the
sale of drug paraphernalia has exploded on the Internet, making it
easier for teenagers and young adults to buy it. The items often are
disguised as such things as lipstick cases to escape detection and
are marketed under code names and symbols.
"Quite simply, the
illegal drug paraphernalia industry has invaded the homes of
families across the country without their knowledge," Ashcroft said
in a statement. "This illegal, billion-dollar industry will no
longer be ignored by law enforcement."
The Internet sites
go by such names as Smokelab.com, Aheadcase.com and puffpipes.com,
according to the Justice Department (news - web sites).
The investigation
was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration along with the U.S.
Marshals, Secret Service, Customs Service and Postal Inspection
Service.
"People selling
drug paraphernalia are in essence no different than drug dealers,"
said John Brown, acting DEA chief. "They are as much a part of drug
trafficking as silencers are a part of criminal homicide."
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