NJ Luchese soldier arrested for pot

thanks to oobatz for posting this on the other site


Mob Soldier Caught with 65 Pounds of Pot in Montville, Police Say
Carlo Taccetta, suspected soldier in the Lucchese crime family, faces drug possession and distribution charges.

Posted by Mike Pignataro (Editor) , January 26, 2014 at 02:49 PM

The son of a high-ranking member of the Lucchese crime family was arrested Saturday in Montville with 65 pounds of marijuana, State Police said.

Carlo Taccetta, 41, of Whippany, was charged with possession of marijuana and possession with intent to distribute following a motor vehicle stop on West Bloomfield Avenue at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday, Sgt. Brian Polite said in a statement released Sunday.

Taccetta is a soldier in the Lucchese crime family and his father, Michael, is a capo, Polite said. Michael "Mad Dog" Taccetta, 66, is incarcerated in South Woods State Prison on racketeering, extortion and conspiracy charges.

The stop of Carlo Taccetta's Dodge Ram pickup truck was the result of "an ongoing investigation," Polite said. Taccetta granted troopers permission to search his vehicle where they discovered the 65 pounds of marijuana, Polite said.

Taccetta was remanded to the Morris County Correctional Facility on $75,000 bail with no 10 percent option. The Division of Criminal Justice will prosecute the case, Polite said.

WTF?

I've heard he's the sharpest tool in the shed. That's all I'm saying .

If it was part of an ongoing investigation, wouldn't they have a warrant to search his car? They shouldn't have needed his permission.

Carlo Taccetta (State Police photo)

http://montville.patch.com/groups/police...ille-police-say

He knew what was up. The drug dogs would find it

unless the drug dogs were there at the scene of the stop from the beginning, he could have just refused and the longer the dogs took to arrive the better for him. Obviously he's guilty as fuck but his lawyer would have had more avenues for his defence. There are some laws and rules about the lengths of a stop and the time it takes a drug sniffing dog to get there, police can't just hold you for no reason waiting for a dog. Im not a lawyer or anything so i could be wrong.

If it was part of "an ongoing investigation" odds are the cops suspected he had them. Since they didn't have a warrant they could have told a uniformed officer to stop him on a bullshyte traffic violation then ask to search the car. Low and behold he lets them check his truck. Nice break for LE.

did some quick math lets says its mid grade cause theres not brick weed around he northeast anymore, or the last 10yrs. 50000/65 770$ a pound if good you getting 1200 a piece. if it was good bud at 2500+ a pound there goes his life savings and the state will take the car. did it say wat type of car. wonder if he owns the bud or was transporting it for someone else.

If he was smart, which by the sounds of it not so, he would've had a lease vehicle. I remember reading something a while ago about drug dealers were now leasing vehicles instead of buying them. If you bought a nice vehicle the government will take it away on the grounds that it was bought with illicit gains. This could be common knowledge for all I know but just that I'd throw it out there.

This was definately high grade weed and Carlo is not that sharp

The fact he was transporting it himself , especially on a sat night should tell you enough

Still he probably doesn't get much time , these guys seem to be sticking to gambling , weed , shy . Some good $ in high end stuff and sentences reasonable

When you know they got you there's no point in bringing the dogs. All you want to do is get to jail and get bail.

i cant see a made guy fucking around with mid grade, its basically garbage with very low profit margins, mid grade is pretty much a waste of time. with high end marijuana your looking at around 4000 a pound give or take, i would say with the right market that 60 lbs is worth at least 200k.

Tons of money in high grade. The problem is it's now medicinally legal in NY. Soon to be legal full blown so get it while you can fellas.

According to this site > http://norml.org/laws/item/new-jersey-penalties-2 Taccetta is looking at a minimum of 10 years if convicted.

Ted -

NY/NJ has become pretty lenient as far as pot goes. He's looking at 5 max and if he pleads guilty maybe no time at all.

Edit: Especially if they can only get him for CPM which may or may not be a felony but a lot better than distribution. Better get a good lawyer either way.

Really not a big deal. He will get maybe 2 yrs and Morris county is a fucking country club compared to other county lock ups, if he's lucky he can stay there for his whole stretch

i think its gonna be a while before it gets fully legal anywhere on the east coast but even after it is i think there will still be a pretty big market for street sales because i think the taxes is gonna cause legal weed to be wayyy overpriced. i hear the legal weed theyre selling out of stores out in colorado and washington are selling eigths of mid grade for around 80 dollars, in reality that should cost 15 or 20 dollars, i bet an ounce of high grade would cost at least 600 or 700 dollars in one of those stores which is ridiculous, with those prices street sales will still be very lucrative.

Damn, that's nice. The entire Jersey Crew should just start trafficking weed with those lenient sentences. At least they should if the Feds didn't have a hardon for weed.

Dellacroce -

You are probably right and true that it will take awhile to be full blown legal but I don't see it being AS lucrative as it is now when laws are passed.

Ted -

The feds have a hard on for high grade weed cause there's LOTS of money in it and they're dealing with mainly white guys who won't pose a serious threat when busted and they can go home to their wife and kids at night. Like I said the feds go where the money is and the feds net serious amounts of cash in these pot busts.

Haha. I agree. The feds will kept busting them tho.

Can the Feds make a case if they can prove he was transporting across state lines?

I doubt it will go that far. 65 elbows really isn't that much considering the amount of weight the boys are moving in from the west. That's who they want. They want to fly out to CA for a couple weeks and soak up the sun.

Delly it's over priced but not that bad. Idk what the store prices are in Colorado or Cali but in wash it's 10-20 a g for loud. From a dealer, and I mean I have smoked a ton in Washington, and back before it was legal, loud was 5 a gram. We would buy quarters for 35. East coast you pay 90-100 and more depending on if ur dumb enough. I'm cheap but I buy halfs of mid for 50, a zip u can get for about 80. Good shit here you can pay 300 to 350 a oz. I'm telling u that Washington bud was some of the best shit I've ever smoked it's great.

Fuck yeah it is and it goes for 15 for a g of the "loud" lol. I fucking love WA mmm

Didnt that Genovese guy just get 9 years for trafficking weed? Sally KO? Im pretty sure he did.. Down here in Baltimore I pay 50$ for an elbow and 90$ for a quarter of some loud. I havent bought a G in years but I could probably swing one for 15. Weed is a topic I can talk about all day long lol

You pay $50 for an elbow? Correct me if I'm wrong but an elbow is a LB right ?? BTW Happy Birthday..

Yeah, he got 9-and-a-half years. I think that was the point someone was trying to make about the sentencing differences between the State and the Feds when it comes to moving high grade pot. It may be a joke sentence in most State courts, but if the Feds grab the case you're gonna have a problem.

Aint most of this guys family in jail still?

Michael gets out this year, Martin is in for life.

Unless the laws have recently changed 65 LB's of weed is no joke in NJ. If it's his first offense he probably won't get hit too bad but it is a real possibility if he's charged with distribution ....which 65 lb's pretty much guarantees he is or will be charged with.

Distribution :

Less than 1 oz felony 1.5 years $ 25,000
1 oz - 5 lbs felony 3* - 5 years $ 25,000
5 - 25 lbs felony 5* - 10 years $ 150,000
25 lbs or more felony 10* - 20 years $ 300,000
Within 1000 feet of a school or school bus felony 3* - 5 years $ 150,000

* Mandatory minimum sentence

If the cops really hate you and they're looking for a place to pull you over with enough drugs in your car for a distribution charge they'll do it in a school zone where you get 3 to5 years automatically. No if ands or buts....3 to 5 years mandatory.

If theres a lawyer here he can correct me if i'm wrong on that but that was the law last time i checked.

http://norml.org/laws/item/new-jersey-penalties-2

^^^^
Great post, GC. It's nice to see it all laid out in black and white like that .

40,000 LB'S? Thats a real shitload of weed. Must of had a warehouse or 2...weed (especially high end weed) is so bulky i can only imagine what 40,000 lb's looks like in one place. If it was from north cali and it was skunk buds that shit must of reeked....those drug dogs could probably smell it from miles away...lol

Originally paper reported as 40k but I believe that was mis stated and is closer to 4k ( big difference )

I deleted the post so as not to confuse

No problem.....thanks for the update. Still a lot of smoke....seems that you hear about more and more mob connected guys getting involved in high end weed these days.

I remember reading about Emmanuel Adamita's son Frank getting popped in NY for a indoor grow operation he had going 7 or 8 years ago . The Adamita's were big sicilian heroin guys with the Gambino's. I think he got 5 years for it....they had some crazy name like the Cartoon guys or Cartoon network.....they were moving a decent amount of smoke besides what they were growing.

Joe Difronzo also had a large pot operation going on

It was 3k seized. On the wire they had larca saying he had access to two 500 pound shipments so it might be that the whole 3000 wasn't all his because they did also arrest his west coast connection.

There was another group called the rodriguez enterprise that was busted in 2012 for massive california/miami to ny weed operation since the early 90s, also had murders and money laundering charges too.Some of them got busted before that in 2010 which included rock a fella records founder kareem biggs burke. Theres probably been a bit of a vacuum since these guys got busted.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bron...ticle-1.1142114

It is crazy to see all these high grade weed busts going on back east. Here is California I have a medical marijuana card, and I belong to a dispensary that has a special buyers club that you can make a donation and then you get weed really cheap. The best weed out here right now is a hybrid called Kosher Kush. If you do not belong to the club you bay $55 for an eight and $320 for an ounce. In the club, I pay $35 and eight of $220 an ounce. I can also purchase up to 2 pounds per day at $2500. It is no wonder all the good weed is coming from California, and it seems like the state has to know what is going on but they will not bite the hand that feeds them.

I see guys from the east coast coming into the dispensary all the time buying book bags full of weed.

"Kosher Kush"...lol!

Who comes up with these names?

Hasidic potheads?

Did you guys see the report on TMZ the other day. The fire department in Australia was called for a fire in a hotel room and smoke was billowing out from the room but when they got there it was just Snoop doing his thing smoking up a storm. lol!

He posed with the firemen for a pic...it was on tmz.

http://www.tmz.com/2014/01/24/snoop-dogg-hotel-room-smoking-firefighters-australia/

Hey PB you are actually right. The guys who created the strain are Jewish guys who live in Hancock Park.

Hey Giancarlo I saw that about Snoop. He actually goes to my dispensary. I have never seen him but they have pictures on the wall of all the famous potheads who go there. Needless to say, pretty much every rapper who lives in Los Angeles is on that wall.

Oh man. I was out in Cali last year surveying for PG&E and, as a pot smoker, I met more growers than sellers. I was up in Red Bluff, CA and met some dude who told me he and 2 of his buddies were the first people ever to get their bud taken by the cops when they got pulled over and then got their pot back. I didn't believe him so he gave me his name and told me to google it and sure as shit, there were newspaper articles and pictures to back up his story. But coming from Massachusetts I was shocked at how cheap the bud was out there. I would buy an ounce for $100-$120 and that same ounce would sell for a minimum of $300 back here in Mass. You guys ever hear of ear wax? I'm not talking about the wax we find in our ears either.

Hey man I know what you mean about their being more buyers than sellers. I mean who other than Snoop needs 2 pounds of weed per day? What do they think these people are doing with all that weight?

I know what you mean about the wax that stuff is amazing. For all of you non-pot heads, wax is similar to bubble hash except it is not as sticky and it is easier to handle. Nothing like shop top shelf bud laced with some wax. Doesn't get better than that lol.

At those prices I could live off selling 2 lbs a week which is a quanity you can get away with . This ain't new though , west coast to east coast been the weed play for decades

All you need is the network which LCN does they their gambling , shy and just local friends .

From what I'm hearning , Carlos was setting up a franchise here.
He was " pushing weight " line on a few ( as late as sat night )

If you do this smart , you can turn around a quick $40k and maybe meet 4 or 5 people . Good quick crack money .

With the prices the way they are I'd be willing the spend $20 for an oil change in my car them just drive out there myself. Make the ride out there like a vacation just in case I get caught on my way back with 50lbs in my car and get sent away for a while. It's almost worth the risk.

Son of Notorious NJ Luchese Capo Nailed with 65lbs of Pot
Monday, January 27, 2014
http://cosa-nostra-news.blogspot.com/20 ... .html#more

New Jersey troopers found 65 pounds of marijuana in a pickup truck on Saturday driven by Carlo Taccetta, a suspected soldier in the Luchese crime family and son of reputed Luchese capo Michael Taccetta, also known as "Mad Dog," a high-ranking member who controlled the family's New Jersey faction in the 1980s-90s and was one of the 20 defendants in the notorious trial considered to be the longest in U.S. history.

Carlo Taccetta, 41, of the Whippany section of Hanover, was stopped on West Bloomfield Avenue in Montville as part of an ongoing investigation Saturday, State Police said.

Troopers found the marijuana after Taccetta gave them permission to search his Dodge Ram pickup truck.

Taccetta was charged with possession of marijuana and possession with intent to distribute, and was sent to the Morris County Jail on $75,000 bail with no 10 percent option.

The case will be prosecuted by the Division of Criminal Justice, State Police said.

Carlo's father was involved with the Luchese's New Jersey faction, and is notable for allegedly having served as the inspiration for a classic HBO television series about a New Jersey mob boss, and also was a defendant in one of the longest trials in U.S. history, which also served as the basis for a film.


Michael Taccetta's mob nickname was "Mad Dog."

Michael Taccetta is considered to have been the model for the character of Tony Soprano of HBO's The Sopranos; he also was among the defendants in the absurdly long-lasting 1980s trial of the New Jersey-based Luchese crew that served as the basis for the lauded 2006 film Find Me Guilty, directed by Sidney Lumet and featuring Vin Diesel in the starring role of Jack DiNorscio, a then-member of the Luchese crew who since died. (The actor put 30 pounds on his frame and had to undergo three-hour makeup sessions to become his character; official transcripts from the trial were used to write the dialog for the courtroom scenes.)

As for the nonfictional Michael Taccetta, he'd been childhood friends with Anthony "Tumac" Accetturo; Taccetta would eventually join Accetturo's street crew in North Jersey.

In 1976, newly made boss Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo decided to strengthen his New Jersey faction, inducting Accetturo, Taccetta and several others into the Luchese crime family. Accetturo was put in charge of the North Jersey faction of the Lucheses, and Taccetta became his top protégé.

After a tumultuous period during the Vittorio "Vic" Amuso and Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso rein, in 1986, the same year of the Commission Trial in New York, Taccetta and Accetturo were arrested with 18 other Northern New Jersey Luchese mobsters. The indictment was the result of a four-year investigation and consisted of 76 counts of labor racketeering, illegal gambling, loansharking, extortion, drug trafficking, money laundering, conspiracy and murder for hire.

The longest trial ever in the United States, it went on (and on) for more than 21 months. At the end, all 20 defendants were acquitted.

Then, in 1994, the entire New Jersey faction's administration was put on trial, including the elder Accetturo. In the end Michael got 25 years for racketeering, narcotics, extortion, loansharking, conspiracy and murder. The next year, he got 40 years, concurrent, for conspiracy to commit 10 murders.

Philly.com, in a 1995 article, described Taccetta as "the leader of an extremely violent faction of the Lucchese crime family that operated out of the Newark area. The group was said to use violence, including murder, to control extensive gambling, loan-sharking and extortion operations.

"Prosecutors said the murder-racketeering case last year was a prime example. In that case, Taccetta, his brother Martin and three others were charged in a racketeering scheme that centered on the 1984 golf-club- bludgeoning death of mob associate Vincent "Jimmy Sinatra" Craparotta"

Taccetta, 62, is imprisoned in New Jersey's South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton, New Jersey. He is up for possible parole in April of this year.

^That's a nice article on Carlo's dad.

Saw a link on that same page that ex-NBA player Javaris Crittenton (the guy that got in trouble with Gilbert Arenas a few years back for having guns in the locker room) was arrested for conspiring to move 400 KEYS(!) of coke. Funny part was he was also looking to sell only 10 lbs of weed in the same deal lol

Not true. Although I get why you would think that. I'm not going to say how they hide the smell but let's just say you wouldn't smell it. Trust me. It's also not as bulky as you would think. It's shrinkwrapped so tight you wouldn't believe it. It doesn't look like what you think. Is very condensed.

and as stated, it wasnt 40,000 it was 4000 lbs.

https://www6.state.nj.us/DOC_Inmate/details?x=1180099&n=0

Michael is out in April. Should be interesting.

Cheech i'm comparing it to how the mexican brick their weed and compared to that it's pretty damn bulky.

Yes i know they shrink wrap it, some even twice then put it in sealed pails and try to put some other shit in there too to cover the smell....but nothing gets rid of the smell of top end weed to the point you can't smell. it.....at least nothing that i've seen and i've known more then a few growers over the many years. You can shrink wrap it only so tight...no way you want to crush the buds.

I don't care what you do to it....those dope dogs will smell it...unless some new method has recently been developed.

Whatever happened to that weed case that involved a Westie? From a year ago i think it was and he was flying it east from cali in a private jet.

When he got popped the papers said it was the return of the Westies. The NY papers only wish it was.

I think i have that right. Anything new on it?

Looks like John Bokun, the alleged "Boss of the Westies" lol was sentenced last year GC


JANUARY 8, 2013NEW YORK, NY
New York man sentenced for drug trafficking, ordered to forfeit private jet
NEW YORK — A New York man was sentenced Tuesday to 31 months in federal prison on conspiracy charges related to the distribution and possession of marijuana. The sentence is the result of an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
The court also required John Bokun, who was sentenced Tuesday, to surrender his Dassault-Breguet Falcon 10 jet aircraft and $7,101. Bokun pleaded guilty May 11, 2012, to the charges.
According to court documents, HSI special agents tracked Bokun traveling on his private jet from California to Republic Airport in East Farmingdale, N.Y. HSI special agents observed the aircraft Dec. 15, 2011, landing on Long Island and taxing towards an area dedicated to servicing private planes.
Once the aircraft arrived, HSI special agents observed Bokun, the plane's pilot, and another man exit the jet to an awaiting U-Haul truck. HSI special agents, with assistance from the New York State Police, stopped the truck.
After obtaining a search warrant, HSI special agents discovered ten black containers carrying 112.4 kilograms of marijuana. HSI special agents then arrested Bokun and a co-conspirator.
The prosecution of this case was handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.

Oh shit he lost the jet. Hope it wasn't paid off.

Thanks Del.

sounds like you know better than I do

Well i have no idea what you know or don't know. But one thing i do know is those damn dogs can smell drugs that much effort has been made to conceal the odor of. If they can pinpoint coke that has been multisealed then i would bet they can smell sealed up shrink wrapped skunk buds. Those dogs are actually pretty amazing at what they can detect.

But it's all good...we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one.

"those drug dogs could probably smell it from miles away"


which I understand is an exaggeration, but your implication is that they would easily smell it. I say not true...I seen it

Ok....like i said we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one.

You are right. I saw one demonstration with a police drug search dog. They had placed a very small amount of marijuana in a sealed glass jar. They then wrapped it in saran wrap covered in Vic's Vapor Rub. They repeated this process over a dozen times - wrapping it over and over again - and placed it with several other containers. They then brought in the dog and it found the weed rather quickly.

Sort of funny article on the Cali "medical" pot racket. Meant to post it last week but forgot about it.

We have medical weed here in NJ too....but unfortunately you really have to be sick to get it and even then it's a real pain in the ass.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Medical Marijuana in California Is a Total Scam (But It's Dope!)

BY Rocco Pendola
| 01/27/14


NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Inspired by recent (and excellent) work from TheStreet's Debra Borchardt on marijuana -- legal, medical, whatever -- I decided to tell my story.



In November of 2013, I went through the "process" of obtaining a California "Medical" Marijuana card. You actually don't need to have a card to grow or possess pot in the state. You just need the go-ahead from a licensed physician and the paperwork that green light triggers. It's a piece of paper like this ...



The "clinic" that processed my -- I guess it's an application -- suggested I pay a couple extra bucks for an ID card because it would make my life easier if the cops ever questioned me. I don't think I have an official ID card from the State of California. The type described at the California Department of Public Health Web site.

But who cares? It simply doesn't matter. I have a license to get high, legally, in the eyes of the State. That's, no doubt, dope. But it's also a complete and total farce.

If you are of age and can go along with the wink-wink, nudge-nudge program and sign your name, you can accomplish the same. In fact, if you're willing to pay an additional $25 for "Express Service" at one of the Los Angeles area Doc 420 clinics, run by "trusted" M.D. and calendar girl (!), Sona Patel, you don't even have to wait in line!



Details are inconsequential with respect to weed in California. In fact, the notion of legalizing marijuana in the State of California is really moot. In other words, it is, at least in densely populated Los Angeles and, I think it's safe to assume, San Francisco, far Northern California and other random places such as Santa Cruz already, for all intents and purposes, "legal."


Making it legal -- without quotation marks -- would, for a considerable portion of the population that cares to smoke, change very little.

Here's the deal. And this may or may not be news to you. I'm just relaying my experience and thoughts associated with it.

While I get personal in my articles at TheStreet from time to time, I haven't talked much about anxiety and depression. Simply put, it's something I have dealt with -- sometimes quite well; at other times, not so much -- for a considerable portion of my life. Over the last decade, I have used traditional means to medicate -- therapy, anti-depressants and, here and there, weed.

I'm convinced that my flavor of mental illness cannot be cured; rather the afflicted can only manage it. That's cool with me. I don't mind being depressed. It happens to be, in some form, my natural state. That doesn't mean I'm a mope or perpetual sad sack. I'm just not the guy with a smile on my face all the time. And I'm sure as hell not going to feign one for the crowd.

Anyhow, quite a few of us like to drink alcohol because, at least in part, it makes us feel good. We like the buzz. Or even getting drunk. That's socially acceptable stuff as long as you keep it in check. It's perfectly OK to unwind -- and relieve some tension -- at the end of a hard-earned day with a couple beers or a glass of wine. In my experience, you can say the same about marijuana.


It's a recreational drug many users fool themselves into advocating as some unique therapeutic fix for emotional distress. In that regard, it's no better than alcohol, unless, of course, being a pothead has less destructive effects than being an alcoholic. But, with that in mind, how could you possibly use marijuana frequently enough for it to have an ongoing therapeutic impact anyway?

Personally, I rarely smoke weed. I couldn't function properly on a variety of levels if I did. It's not like taking a daily dose of Prozac (something I no longer do). I'm not sure about the constitution of others, but I'm not made up in a such a way that I can smoke routinely and not experience ill physical and mental side effects. The same, of course, can be said for drinking.

If you have to smoke or drink daily -- which, again, just doesn't seem feasible or at all healthy -- to alleviate anxiety and depression, you really need to (annoying buzzword alert) circle back to the issues that triggered this behavior in the first place. For some us, frequent reflection is a necessary part of life that keeps us on our A-game. That keeps us on top of -- and in some form of control over -- our afflictions.

Find me somebody who hasn't dealt with or is dealing with depression and anxiety. I like to tell people that if you're not depressed, you're not paying attention. Weed plays about zero role in helping me manage my depression. Certainly, in the short timeframes while I am high, it helps, but I could do a whole host of other things -- many harmless (go for a bike ride, run, do yoga, have sex), others quite harmful (take other drugs, cut, blow off steam vandalizing property or beating people up) that would help, temporarily, just as much.


All of this to say, it's easy to establish a nexus between your mental health and a need for weed. And that's exactly what large numbers of people who get legal in California do for the express written consent to do nothing other than get high.

But it's all bull crap.

Granted, there are some folks who probably don't fit my illustration. And I will get ripped by lots of people who claim they would be emotional messes without weed. But, frankly, I think you're, on average, fooling yourselves. And you ought to stop.

(This characterization does not apply to folks who use medical marijuana for cancer and such; I have no experience with this -- knock on freaking wood, good Lord willing and the creek don't rise -- so I cannot speak personally to it -- knock on wood again).

The State of California ought to stop the masquerade as well. So should every other state in the nation still participating in the idiotic debate about whether to legalize weed or not. We're just beating around the bush. We're wasting time that could be spent on issues that actually matter.

If somebody wants to smoke weed, why should we expend energy trying to stop them? Whether they do it rationally or irrationally for medical, recreational or some other purpose. The fact that we even "debate" this is the first place is as much of a farce as the current product of the "debate" here in California.

Because, I don't care where you live. If you want to get weed, you're going to get it. And you're going to smoke it. And, for the most part, if you're smart about it, nobody is going to bother you about it. The Feds look like total bullies when they bust people for smoking weed, as long as there's no illicit activity associated with it (and, I think I can say with confidence, there usually isn't).

So we take these baby steps -- like instituting "medical" marijuana laws and regulations in California -- that, in practice, end up operating as farce. Stop the charade and legalize it. 100% legalization. Stop making people make themselves believe they're getting the license to treat melancholy or stress when they, like so many other alcohol-drinking, porn-watching, vice-succumbing Americans just want to get high once in a while.

The funniest part of the whole process of getting certified as a "medical" marijuana "patient" in California is sitting across the table from the doctor who walks you through the dog and pony show. To make the whole thing more authentic, you should smoke a joint together during the formality of ...

So why would you like to smoke medical marijuana?
Because I have anxiety and depression and I don't want to take traditional meds.
OK. So how long has this been going on? How long have you dealt with anxiety and depression?
Um, as long as I remember.
OK. Well, you sound like you qualify for a license. Marijuana can probably help you with your anxiety and depression.

Then there's small talk. You shake your head vertically through the boilerplate full of warnings and such. You answer yes and no at all the right times. The papers get signed.

And I was off to The Farmacy on Abbot Kinney in Venice. A great little shop where you can browse and buy weed. It's as attractive a retail establishment as your average Apple (AAPL) Store. Nice storefront. Not your typical shady place, standard throughout Southern California, with the green cross displayed over frosted windows.

But, lo and behold, these guys had to close up. And, according to their Web site, they still haven't been able to reopen.



Because, here again, we're wasting our time as a society, as a culture pushing paper to write regulations as the zeitgeist continues to shift. Just like it has with gay marriage.

Venice has a problem with a shop selling weed (at a premium price, by the way) because it's too close to a children's center, yet it stands by while homeless drunks and gang members trash its popular boardwalk along the beach adjacent to and within view of Santa Monica Pier.

Priorities people.

I'll leave the great investigative work on this to TheStreet's Deb Borchardt. In fact, I would love to see her look into doctors handing out medical marijuana clearances to their "patients" in California as practice. Dr. Patel appears to have built something like a cottage industry out of it, selling everything from the aforementioned calendars and "express service" to her own branded line of vaporizers.

But the moral of my personal story is quite straightforward ... Not only do we have more important issues to deal with as a society and in our cities, but we misdirect and, in this case, flat out waste resources on a set of laws that do nothing more than window dress what's really going on.

If only the State of California was as resourceful (or is it seemingly opportunistic?), as Dr. Patel. That surprise budget surplus we recently announced would be even bigger.

http://www.thestreet.com/story/12262234/...t-its-dope.html

When I was out in Cali working I received a phonecall from one of my supervisor's telling me that I randomly got picked for a "Fit for Duty" test. I told him that I wouldn't go so of course he needed to know why. I ended up calling my main boss back in Mass and told him I didn't think I could take the test that day. He asked why and I just told him that I occasionally smoke pot and that I'm not a habitual user. I also told him that I was being completely honest and that I didn't want him to think that I was doing other "drugs". I then told him that I have some stressful days and that's how I would unwind because I thought that was much safer than "getting into a company vehicle and driving 10 miles down the road to have some margueritas then driving back to the hotel..." My boss, who I've worked with for over 12 years, just said "no, I completely agree with you but unfortunately you're still gonna have to take the drug test." The next day I bought synthetic urine at a gas station and passed the test. It was such a joke.

You honestly would not smell this shit. It's vacuum sealed and usually it's done with 2 bags making it almost impossible to smell. What probably happened is someone tipped off the cops and they busted the guy while he was leaving UPS. These busts aren't as organized and technologically advanced as your average Joe on the street might think. It's usually all by chance and a call made by a CI. F**kin Rats!!

You are correct. I stand corrected

You're wrong. See Ivys post

It's really not a educated guess on my part...but lets just leave it at that.

Cheech i in no way said you lied. Just a honest difference of opinion on it....thats all.

I stand corrected sir. I was wrong

Hahaha.....synthetic urine! Did you use the Whizzinator? A friend of mine used to have one but after Tom Sizemore got caught using one and it was on the news all the testers started looking to make sure it was a real dick. The shit people come up with is pretty amazing.

Luckily i've pretty much always been self employed and never had to put up with that on the job drug testing shit.

Haha no I didn't get the whizzinator but I've heard all about it. The synthetic urine I used was like $12 and it came in a little plastic bottle. I had heard that the administrator of these tests didn't watch anyone take a piss but I can't imagine getting caught with the whizzinator. Wow my phone auto corrected my spelling of whizzinator but I don't know what would more embarrassing...failing the drug test or being caught with a fake dick in my underwear. Probly the latter. Didn't someone in the NBA get caught using the whizzinator a few years ago?

Probably....but i couldn't tell you who. I just remember when the actor Tom Sizemore got caught by his P.O. (?) using one and they got a lot of publicity from it.

Mike Tyson has said he used one too numerous times...i think it was in his book.

i think cheech is right that the majority of shipments of weed through the mail go undetected, ive seen guys ship in between sheets of drywall, ive even heard of it shipped in basketballs that have been spliced open filled with lbs and stitched back up, but every once in a while you will hear of a guy getting a shipment dropped off and when he picks it up the cops swoop in on him, so theres always a risk to it.

And with the dogs, ive seen them pick up the scent in a car with no weed in, just that a joint had been smoked in the car like a week earlier and they could still pick up the scent, but on the flip side, ive also seen a drug dog(with my own eyes) walk right past a backpack with two ounces of skunk in it(not shrink wrapped or anything, just in a regular bag) and the dog couldn't pick up the smell. the way i see it, theres no exact science to it...just my .02

I don't doubt it Del. Probably depends on the dog too. Between all the package courier companies theres probably a ton of different goodies being delivered every day by them. Some get through...some don't.

I can't believe we're arguing about drug dogs. lol! Oh well.

Back to Carlos . I know for sure he was setting up shop with this ship and thru cronies was reaching out to guy they knew to be cool or could possibly move some ( some of whom I know ) . This type of activity should not be what a wise guy does . When you pick this up , you already know exactly who is taking it and generally for what price , a so called quick flip making maybe $500 - $1000 an LB. This op was pretty shocking

Was this Carlo Taccetta's first pinch? I really don't know too much about him...just a little on his father and Uncle.

If it's his first offense he might be able to cut a deal and MAYBE just plead to possession...but if he goes down for distribution of 60 lb's i think the mandatory minimums kick in. But being a Taccetta in the the state of NJ is going to most likely work against any worthwhile plea deal.

how could this be true? didnt you see Ivy's post about seeing something different on youtube

Instead of using Vic's u use pepper spray... Immobilizes the dogs nose theoretically

We're back to the dogs again? lol

Really is just a difference of opinions on it. Nothing personal against anyone here.

You never know when this might come in handy, Giancarlo.

Huh?

I'm starting to think i must be missing something here.

Has anyone heard any news about this??

Nothing really much to add at the moment he's been arrested and is awaiting trial or whatever. Unless he flips i don't think it gonna become a big deal.

As for rental cars used for trafficking, remember when the Westies hired grandmothers to transport their stuff and even let grandma keep the car once the deal was done?