AGENTS RAID MARIJUANA CO-OP

Federal Officials Claim Operation Was Not Medicinal

Federal agents raided several Bay Area sites and arrested 15 people
Tuesday morning to shut down what supporters called a medicinal
marijuana cooperative, but what federal officials called a
drug-dealing operation.

Drug Enforcement Administration agents raided sites, including the
administrative office of New Remedies Cooperative -- formerly known
as Compassionate Caregivers -- at [address redacted] in downtown
Oakland; its dispensary at [address redacted] in San Francisco; and
what apparently was its marijuana-growing operation in a warehouse at
[address redacted]., on the edge of San Francisco's Potrero Hill district.

Seized were about 12,743 marijuana plants; computers; four vehicles
including a Porsche Carrera convertible; $125,000 and three bank
accounts belonging to New Remedies, Potent Employment Solutions LLC.

Operator [Name redacted] , 36, of San Francisco was arrested Tuesday,
as were [Name redacted] , 31, of San Pablo; [Name redacted] , 56, and
[Name redacted] , 22, both of San Francisco; [Name redacted] , 28,
and [Name redacted] , 29, both of Pinole; [Name redacted] , 27, of
Crockett; [Name redacted] , 33, and [Name redacted] , 35, both of
Richmond; [Name redacted] , 32, [Name redacted] , 53, and [Name
redacted] , 32, all of Alameda; [Name redacted] , 25, and [Name
redacted] , 26, both of San Leandro; and [Name redacted] , 26, of Berkeley.

All are scheduled to make their first federal court appearances today.

A California law approved by voters a decade ago permits medicinal
use of marijuana, but federal law bans the drug entirely. Federal
officials implied Tuesday this operation wasn't just medicinal.

"Federal drug laws prohibit the cultivation and sale of marijuana.
Anyone who breaks these laws to run a lucrative drug trade, buy fancy
cars, boost their bank accounts and exploit vulnerable citizens is
not compassionate, they're criminal," Javier Pena, the DEA special
agent in charge, said in a news release.

Compassionate Caregivers shut its Oakland headquarters and six other
locations in June 2005, a month after Los Angeles police raided the
West Hollywood site, arrested several people and seized the company's assets.

Compassionate Caregivers had reopened its Oakland dispensary within
weeks but shut it down for good in September 2005 after the city
refused to renew its permit, citing building code violations.