FEDS RAID SOUTH G GLASSWORKS

They call it "Operation Pipe Dreams" or "Operation Headhunter," and there
are plenty of heads in Arcata that are bitterly criticizing the federal
government for coming here to arrest three men who supplied glass pipes and
bongs to area retailers.

Jason Vrbas, Ryan Teurfs and Gabriel Watson own 101 North, 550 G Street, a
glassblowing business that employed dozens of residents and leased working
space to independent craftspeople. The three men were arrested by the
federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on Feb. 24 in a nationwide
enforcement operation that targeted illegal drug paraphernalia.

The feds' timing couldn't have been keener - the arrests came as the Arcata
City Council is considering an ordinance that resists the federal intrusions
allowed under the U.S. Patriot Act.

The three men will enter pleas in federal court in Pittsburgh on March 7.
They're accused of marketing their illegal products on the Internet and each
faces up to three years in jail and a $250,000 fine. They have been advised
by their lawyers not to talk to reporters.

Locals: Pissed Off

Angered Arcatans rallied at the shut down 101 North facility and outside a
federal courtroom in Eureka last week. The protests included a number of the
business' employees, who are now out of work and whose pay, along with the
defendants' bank accounts, has been frozen.

The DEA raid and arrests seem awfully draconian to residents who use
glassware, make it, sell it or accept it as as an element of local culture.
That attitude is at odds with federal law, and in a press release on the 50
arrests made nationwide, federal officials delivered moralistic
condemnations that are way out of sync with local beliefs.

In the press release, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said that "the
illegal drug paraphernalia industry has exploded," and is infiltrating the
nation's homes via the Internet. "Quite simply, the illegal drug
paraphernalia industry has invaded the homes of families across the country
without their knowledge," Ashcroft said. "This illegal billion-dollar
industry will no longer be tolerated by law enforcement."

John B. Brown III, the DEA's acting administrator, compared those who sell
glass pipes to "drug dealers" and said "they are as much a part of drug
trafficking as silencers are a part of criminal homicide."

"[The DEA arrests] send a clear and unambiguous message to those who would
poison our children," said Director of National Drug Control Policy John P.
Walters. "We will bring you to justice, and we will act decisively to
protect our young people from the harms of illegal drugs."

DEA: Protecting Arcata?

For less rhetoric-rich comment on the federal operations, DEA Agent and
Spokesman Richard Meyer was contacted.

He said the Arcata arrests were carried out due to 101 North's Internet
activity and level of sales. "We consider them to be large distributors,"
Meyer continued. "And there's no question that these items were sold for the
sole purpose of using illegal drugs."

Meyer was asked how the feds can determine whether a pipe or bong is used
for legal substances like tobacco or illegal ones. "[The defendants] can
make their case in court and say that their products are used for tobacco -
and if a jury believes them, good for them," he replied.

This is the first time the DEA has done an operation like this, Meyer said.
He explained that retailers don't come under his department's enforcement,
as "we leave it up to local authorities to target smaller-scale
distributors."

California allows medicinal use of marijuana, but Meyer said smoking
apparatus can't be considered as medical equipment because federal law
groups marijuana in the most dangerous drug category.

"The DEA doesn't recognize the term 'medical marijuana,'" he continued.

With pipes and bongs being highly visible and accepted elements of Arcata's
cultural atmosphere and business community, those who make and sell them are
shocked to hear of the federal intervention. Meyer, however, asserted that
"ignorance of the law is no defense."

He advised glassblowers to "use their skills to make things that aren't
illegal and harmful to society."

Told of local disapproval, Meyer said his department "is criticized for
every operation we mount, mostly by the people who are affected and accused
of committing crimes." He added that the DEA is "very concerned about the
community" and aims to protect cities like Arcata from "the further use and
abuse of illegal drugs."

Local customs can't figure into the DEA's enforcement protocols, said Meyer.
"We are a democracy, and what makes democracy strong is rule of law," he
continued. "Drug paraphernalia is illegal and marijuana is illegal, and all
people have to do to change that is elect officials who would change the law
- - and I don't think the American people as a whole want to do that."

Sunday Benefit

On Sunday afternoon, the employees of 101 North held a benefit at the Manila
Community Center.

Surrounded by well wishers, Vrbas had been advised by legal counsel to
refrain from making public comments about his case - and instead, directed
attention to the employees who were working without pay to keep 101 afloat.

"These are 50 people working without pay," said 101 staffer Paul Thompson.
"And these people have families and mortgages." Thompson said that since the
feds had frozen 101's accounts, workers had missed Friday's regular paycheck
and were facing months without.

In addition to the music, raffle prizes and food, 101 employees were
accepting donations at an impromptu glass products table - gifts that did
not include smoking utensils. "The closest thing is an ashtray," Thompson
pointed out.

A "Glass Relief" account has been set up at the Arcata Washington Mutual to
help workers through 101's uncertain future. More information is available
at (707) 845-1967.