Bongs Get The Gong

POLICE IMPOUND STORE'S ALLEGED DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

EVERETT -- Police confiscated bongs, cigarette lighters, scales and other
alleged drug paraphernalia from a smoke shop this week, leaving the owner
fuming.

On Thursday afternoon, police cleaned out part of the inventory at the
Evergreen Smoke Shop in the 6300 block of Evergreen Way. The goods were in
violation of a city ordinance outlawing drug paraphernalia, police
spokesman Elliott Woodall said.

Police began investigating the Everett store after receiving complaints
about its products, Woodall said.

Detectives went to the shop undercover and bought drug equipment such as
bongs, bottles of pills used to increase the volume of cocaine, ingredients
used to make methamphetamine, and many other items, he said.

"The detectives went back with a search warrant and relieved them of that
inventory," Woodall said.

The seized paraphernalia will be used as evidence should the city decide to
prosecute, Woodall said. Police estimated the goods to be worth about
$50,000, but the shop's owner, Dennis So, says it's more like $5,000 to
$7,000.

"The thing that upsets us the most is the fact that if they would have told
us it was a problem, we could have stopped selling them," said So, of Mill
Creek. "But instead, they decided to rampage the store."

He said the police came into the store, patted down the employees, looked
through financial books and took merchandise.

"We've been selling these products for three or four years," So said. "If
they didn't want us to sell something, they just should have told us."

Among the items taken were metal pipes sometimes called bongs and often
used to smoke marijuana.

So said the bulk of his business is in cigarettes, cigars and pipe tobacco,
but because he runs a specialty shop, he sells specialty items that are
sometimes requested by tobacco enthusiasts.

"There's no intent for us to sell anything to drug enthusiasts," So said.

Other confiscated goods included cigarette lighters and scales.

"Some enthusiasts like to weigh their tobacco before rolling," So said.
"They are the same scales sold at Costco or OfficeMax for measuring weight
for postage."

So, who started the business in the early '90s, said he plans to consult an
attorney and decide whether to challenge the seizure.

"I understand their concerns," he said, "but it's just the way they went
about it."