http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/news/shownews.jsp?content=n072945A

Well-known Vancouver pot activist arrested in extradition attempt by U.S.

VANCOUVER (CP) - Police raided a business run by the head of the B.C. Marijuana party on Friday based on a search warrant requested by the U.S. government, which wants Marc Emery extradited to face charges related to the sale of marijuana seeds on the Internet and by mail.

Authorization to conduct the raid was made Thursday by Associate Chief Justice Patrick Dohm of the B.C. Supreme Court under the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Act.

Several officers, some in plain clothes, some in uniform, raided the marijuana seed and paraphernalia store on West Hastings Street in downtown Vancouver that is run by Emery, who the search warrant also described by his alias "The Prince of Pot."

The search warrant said Emery, Gregory Williams and Michelle Rainey-Fenkarek are wanted in the U.S. to face charges of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana, conspiracy to distribute marijuana seeds and conspiracy to engage in money laundering.

Williams and Rainey-Fenkarek were arrested by police in Vancouver, Jeff Sullivan, chief of the criminal division of the U.S. Attorney's Office, told a news conference in Seattle.

Sullivan said the United States is seeking the extradition of Emery, Williams and Rainey-Fenkarek on the charges after they were indicted by a federal grand jury in May following an 18 month investigation by American police into the sale of marijuana seeds on the internet and by mail.

A conviction on the charges carries a sentence ranging from 10 years to life in prison, said Sullivan.

Emery, who is in his mid-40s, is a well-known pot activist.

The store that was raided, named Toker's Bowl, is adjacent to the New Amsterdam Cafe where people have been smoking marijuana openly for years.

Several people gathered outside the store to protest the raid, many holding anti-American signs.

Police sealed off the store and covered the windows with paper while they conducted their search.


That sucks, eh? In other news, I totally scored a free record player today. Jon and I then rocked the fuck out to Devo, and it was awesome.

The search warrant sets out a long list of requests made by the United States to the Vancouver police department.

It asks police to seize cash and receipts, client lists and other records identifying purchasers of goods from Emery, and employee records, including applications for employment. It also asks for business and company incorporation documents, leases, rental agreements, computers, hard drives, diskettes and CD-ROMS.

Emery, the leader of the party, was not at the store when it was raided but U.S. justice officials said he was arrested earlier Friday in Nova Scotia by the RCMP.