WAS IT REALLY A $1.2 MILLION DRUG HAUL AT PHISH SHOW?

Hampton police are standing by their estimate that $1.2 million
worth of drugs were seized at three Phish concerts this past weekend
- -- adding that "one very large bust" of marijuana accounted for a
large part of the drugs seized.

The $1.2 million estimate is indeed a huge amount of drugs. It
equates to an average seizure of $6,185 for each of the 194 people
arrested on various felony and misdemeanor charges -- and some of
them weren't charged with drug offenses.

Lots of people commenting on the story on dailypress.com said they
found the $1.2 million figure "Phishy." The alternative Web site Raw
Story then got hold of the Daily Press article, quoting a
pro-legalization group, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition,
asserting that the seizure numbers appeared inflated.

Cops inflating drug prices "is definitely something our members have
encountered before," said Tom Angell, the group's media director,
told Raw Story.

But Hampton police spokeswoman Allison Quinones said the police
numbers were indeed accurate -- adding that the one "very large
bust" was included in the estimates. "There's no misrepresentation,"
Quinones said. "There's no padding of the figures."

The amount, she said, was the end customer, or street value, of the
drugs. It was verified, she said, by special investigators who work
with drugs and seizures "every day."

Quinones later released a photo of what appeared to be hundreds of
mason jars filled to the brim with marijuana. The photo showed the
drugs, packaged to look like a food delivery, in the back of a police van.

Quinones would not detail how much of what drug was seized, or the
dollar amounts of each. She also would not reveal how much marijuana
was seized. An investigation into the large pot bust was continuing,
she said. "When we can release more details, we will," she said.

In addition to the Hampton arrests, police made 73 drug-related
arrests related to the concert and confiscated drugs worth just
under $6,000. This included 16.7 grams of cocaine, valued at $1,670,
and 369.14 grams of marijuana, valued at $3,691.40.

Women of the Moose to make donation

The Women of the Moose, from the Warwick Moose Lodge, 122 Turlington
Road in Newport News, will give the Newport News Police Relief
Association a donation on Sunday, March 22, at 2 p.m. at the lodge.

The donation is raised and given by the Women of the Moose to help
the NNPRA in their mission, which is to extend aid and assistance to
eligible retired members of the Newport News Police Department,
active members of the department and their families, police
spokesman Harold Eley said.

The police relief association raises money through fundraisers such
as the Police Ball and gives money annually to retired members to
supplement their retirement income.