DEA Cracks Down on California Marijuana Clubs

Two weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld federal laws against medical marijuana, DEA agents raided 25 homes and businesses in the San Francisco area and seized 9,300 marijuana plants as part of Operation Urban Harvest aimed at what U.S. Attorney Kevin V. Ryan said is a major international drug operation.

Ryan said the medical marijuana clubs are a front for a marijuana and ecstasy trafficking operation. This week's raid was the largest drug trafficking crack down in the area since 1996.

"We're empathetic to the ill and to the sick, however we cannot disregard federal law," said Special Agent in Charge Javier Pena of the Drug Enforcement Administration. "We have the power to enforce federal drug laws even in areas where it might not be popular."

"There are some members of the public who think they can disregard the courts and Congress," said Pena. "The DEA will not be among them."

Federal officials said the traffickers targeted in the raids laundered millions of dollars through 12 financial institutions and 40 bank accounts. The California raids are just the first step in the effort to crack down on the larger drug operation.

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