SWAT Raids Home Over Hydroponic Equipment Purchase, Finds Tomatoes and Squash in CIA Agent's Home.

CIA... Indoor garden...

A lot of talk about NWO, economic collapse, end of the world, SHTF.

Were they prepping, and what do they know that we should know more of?

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Wrabbit, that is 100% illegal. Like everything they recover gets thrown out and the investigating officers get investigated by the FBI and are subject to civil litigation kind of illegal.

In 2001, the Supreme Court, in Kyllo v US, ruled you can't conduct that kind of surveillance without a warrant. Fishing expeditions are strictly forbidden.

Civil Air Patrol does some stuff, but they rely on "plain sight" rules. Different game entirely.

Originally posted by 2ndthought
CIA... Indoor garden...

A lot of talk about NWO, economic collapse, end of the world, SHTF.

Were they prepping, and what do they know that we should know more of?

DING DING DING!

This is what many are wondering. What is the REAL story?

Although a few tomato plants does not a prepper make...but there is something we are not seeing here.

Peace

reply to post by ShadellacZumbrum


My perspective is the opposite, if you build it yourself why would it not be cost effective.

Lamps
reflective anything
solution
*a fish tank pump
*a fish tank pump aerator
* small garden plumbing with sprays and drips
*ph test strips
*plastic bins

You just have to stop by a department store that sells fish and a hardware store and you're set to go....until you need a less noticeable medium, because rockwool is a dead given and buying solution is a no-no.


Buy it at a specialty store and you're buying a brand name and it shows that you're going to search for instructions.

reply to post by Knives4eyes


There are plenty of sellers of this equipment on ebay too....bypass the regular stores.

Des

The hardware stores in my area HUGE mark ups on stuff. I can save 30-40 percent just by going to a town about 20 miles away. If you live in a larger city there will be more competition and the prices would be better. But general rule of thumb is that typical hometown hardware stores are more expensive.

As far as Lowes and Home Depot goes, have you tried to make a purchase there without being asked for your phone number? It is for tracking purposes. If you give them a number make sure you don't give them yours.

reply to post by Destinyone


Ebay / PayPal tracks transaction more so than other stores. Everything is recorded. The merchandise, the name, the address, the phone number. And that information is post to Both Ebay and PayPal. PayPal REQUIRES a Confirmed shipping address to cover the Buyer Protection Plan. This information is compared to your bank information that you used to be set up on PayPal. It is also part of their fraud protection.

So, they (law Enforcement Agencies) don't even have to contact the seller. They contact Ebay and PayPal and subpoena the records and no one is the wiser.

Originally posted by CookieMonster09
Most of the times the people purchasing hydroponic equipment are purchasing this equipment to grow illegal weed.

And you know this...how?

Hydroponics is a legitimate way to produce food. From outdoor green houses to your balcony. To say these stores cater mostly to illegal activities shows a lack of knowledge on your part. Sorry.

I know MANY people using the knowledge and tech to grow their own food, herbs, spices etc. I have also used the tech to grow my own veggies indoors with incredible results.

Peace

If this can happen to us and we are educated and have reasonable resources, how does somebody who maybe hasn't led a perfect life supposed to be free in this country?" Adlynn Harte told the Associated Press.

It sounds like since they are "educated and have reasonable resources" this isn't supposed to happen to them. It's at least a little comforting knowing that incompetence of the investigators of isn't predudice against average people like they thought.

reply to post by GreenGlassDoor

It's against our state law for our Department of Revenue to be accepting REAL ID Equipment from DHS, too...Yet they just got caught doing it behind the backs of the Statehouse. Law and what's right? That doesn't seem to matter so much anymore. It's only illegal when someone pushes it all the way up the courts ..and then they actually win. Sad isn't it?

By the way, I never said I have any respect for what my family member was doing. Personally I think that aspect of what he did was pretty much scumbag territory. However, I'm never one to ignore useful information when it's not necessarily easy to learn other ways.

reply to post by jude11


Same here Jude. I've used grow lights to start seeds for veggies, and growing herbs in the winter....then move the seedling plants to outside planters. I know a boat load of people in my area who do the same.

To say people who purchase indoor growing set-ups are doing so for only illegal purposes, is indeed ignorant.

Maybe that poster had a guilty conscience....

Des

reply to post by ShadellacZumbrum


I've purchased over 300 items on ebay, using Money Orders....just click MO as pay option, on checkout.

Des

reply to post by Destinyone


If you signed up on Ebay to make transactions, you have given them an address. My point is it is all very traceable regardless of payment method.

The real pisser is the amount of expensive police tima wasted....
The idiot officers should be made to pay back the time on the job......
How many cops does it take to bust a gro show?

Originally posted by CookieMonster09
Listen, this story smells fishy. Why is anyone growing tomatoes in the off-season anyways? Most people, even in the suburbs, grow tomatoes in the summer time outdoors.

I think you just answered your own question but you may not like the answer for why it makes sense to do so.

They were CIA? Well, I'll bet they knew what I learned as a produce truck driver. Off season ... Indeed.. Where do you figure your tomatoes in the store come from during the off season? It's a big country but it's not THAT big for regional climates changing enough for there to still be a spot to grow enough.

I'm guessing they knew your off season tomatoes come up through places like Nogales, Arizona. No one grows a tomato anywhere near that little town. It's a transhipment point. Mexican trucks bring produce up from the south somewhere (who knows...that varied wildly) and unload into a dock area where they get looked over by a Federal inspector, then reloaded onto a truck like I drove for delivery on into the US, wherever the order went. In my case, it was often Caito foods and Kroger.

I'd grow my own in the off season too if I ate tomatoes and had any kind of a green thumb. (I could and.. ahem.. have..killed a cactus. )

Well lets see here what is the CIA doing here? I would say there was a safe house and the purchase of the gear was to see if they were being observed officially and trigger a response,probably as a distraction.

But I am paranoid so why listen to me?

Originally posted by CookieMonster09
Listen, this story smells fishy. Why is anyone growing tomatoes in the off-season anyways? Most people, even in the suburbs, grow tomatoes in the summer time outdoors.

These hydroponics retail stores are bad news. They cater to growers of illegal weed and it's evident in their stores that this is their clientele. I respect law enforcement, and would give them the benefit of the doubt in this case. It is highly unusual for people to grow tomatoes in their basement. Most of the times the people purchasing hydroponic equipment are purchasing this equipment to grow illegal weed.

Why do people grow tomatoes in the off season? Really?

How about for the simple reason to have fresh veggies in the off season?

Peace

I don't understand why you folks are getting so upset over this. They are bringing legal charges against the agencies that conducted the illegal searches.

This case will get swept under the rug and these folks will probably get around 50 to 80k in damages. Not bad.