FEDS RAIDED HOMES AS WELL AS THC MINISTRY

HILO -- At least six and perhaps as many as a dozen homes were raided
Wednesday during a federal drug sweep on the Big Island.

"I know of about six others who were raided," said Roger Christie,
founder and director of The Hawaii Cannabis Ministry, whose downtown
Hilo sanctuary and Wainaku residence were searched by federal agents,
assisted by local police.

A police log for Wednesday showed 12 report numbers indicating police
assistance to outside law enforcement agencies between 4 a.m. and just
past 3 p.m. Five incidents occurred in Puna, four in South Hilo, and
one each in North Hilo, Hamakua and Ka'u.

A police spokeswoman confirmed that all are related to the federal
operation, and referred any further inquiries to the U.S. Attorney's
office in Honolulu.

"There have been no arrests and no charges," Deputy U.S. Attorney Tom
Muehleck said Thursday afternoon.

Two callers told Stephens Media that their homes was raided. One
didn't offer additional information or leave a phone number on a voice
message. Another said 25 marijuana seedlings were confiscated from his
home and complained about his 93-year-old father being awakened at 6
a.m.

Christie said authorities spent about seven hours searching his home
and ministry, starting around 6 a.m. He said the Drug Enforcement
Administration, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Postal Inspector and
U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service were involved in the
search, as were local police.

"They treated me with the utmost respect and courtesy," Christie said
Wednesday afternoon at THC Ministry headquarters, which showed no
outward signs Thursday afternoon of having been searched. Christie
said investigators even bought him breakfast.

"They were looking for records and cash -- ill-gotten gain -- and
cannabis, cannabis smoking devices, cannabis growing equipment,"
Christie said. "The search warrant was pretty broad, and they looked
high and low. They looked thoroughly around my place, around both places."

Christie said that authorities confiscated ministry records, holy
anointing oil containing cannabis and Christie's cell phone. He said
that computer hard drives were copied but the computers were left in
operable condition. One marijuana plant was taken from the sanctuary.

"They moved it so carefully that they didn't leave any trace of dirt
behind," he said.