FEDS RAID CALIF. MEDICAL-POT FARM

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - Federal agents raided a marijuana farm Thursday and
arrested the owners, who grow the pot for a medical users club, surprising
community members and local law enforcement.

Officers seized more than 100 marijuana plants, three rifles and a shotgun
in the predawn raid, Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman Richard
Meyer said in San Francisco.

Valerie and Michael Corral were arrested on federal charges of intent to
distribute marijuana and conspiracy, he said.

"These are incredibly compassionate people who've worked closely with law
enforcement to help the sick and dying in our community," said Ben Rice, an
attorney for the Corrals. "This is absolutely outrageous."

Suzanne Pfeil, a patient at the club who was arrested during the raid and
later released, said federal agents stormed her room around 8 a.m. in full
assault gear. They arrested everyone and uprooted the marijuana plants, she
said.

Pfeil said the weapons the agents seized from the Corrals were merely
unloaded family heirlooms.

The Corrals helped write the provision in California's Proposition 215 that
allows patients and their caregivers to cultivate their own medicine. Their
farm has been featured in national media, and they work with local
authorities to grow and distribute their pot to people with doctors'
recommendations to use marijuana.

Mardi Wormhoudt, a Santa Cruz County supervisor, said county officials had
been impressed with the Corrals' professionalism in running the club.

The raid was a surprise to local medical marijuana growers and advocates,
as well as the Santa Cruz County sheriff and even DEA officials in the
agency's closest office, in San Jose.

The marijuana farm about 15 miles north of Santa Cruz is well known to
local law enforcement agencies, which have complied with the state medical
marijuana law rather than federal drug laws, said sheriff's spokesman Kim Allyn.