FBI SEIZES 50 POUNDS OF POT, HASH IN RAIDS

Federal agents and local police raided three locations in San Mateo
that authorities described as "marijuana distribution centers" on Wednesday.

Agents seized 50 pounds of processed marijuana, hashish,
marijuana-laced food and about $30,000 in cash, according to a Drug
Enforcement Administration statement.

The DEA referred to the operations as "drug trafficking
organizations," but it was unclear whether they had ties to medical
marijuana clubs.

California approved medical use of marijuana more than a decade go,
but it is still illegal under federal law.

Medical marijuana club operators and pot growers, some with dubious
ties to state-sanctioned medical marijuana practices, are subject to
federal arrests, seizures and prosecution.

Documents relating to the San Mateo investigations are under court
seal. A San Mateo police spokesman refused to comment on the case,
referring questions to the DEA, which did not return a phone call or
respond to an e-mail.

The San Mateo raids were the result of a nine-month investigation
that included the DEA and the San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force,
a multiagency unit.

Property owners where the San Mateo marijuana distribution centers
conducted business may have their assets seized and face criminal
prosecution if further violations occur, according to the DEA statement.