Pubdate: Fri, 06 Sep 2002
Source: Arizona Daily Star (AZ)
Copyright: 2002 Pulitzer Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.azstarnet.com/star/today/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/23
Author: Martha Mendoza, The Associated Press
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)

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.
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