Police have busted a group responsible for 90 percent of acid sold in Western USA

[lulz]

SANDPOINT -- The arrest of two leaders from a major drug trafficking ring is expected to limit the availability of acid, ecstasy, mushrooms and marijuana in Bonner County.

Sandpoint police went undercover and gained trust of the leaders of what's known as the Llama Tribe. The group is believed to have supplied up to 90 percent of the acid in the western United States.

"I would venture to say the youth in this area and adults will not be able to find a readily available source for some time," Sandpoint Police Det. Kit Sanger said Monday. "It's a very complex drug manufacturing operation. It's not a meth lab where you can get a recipe from the Internet. This will definitely hurt."

Sandpoint Police got involved with the investigation one year ago after a young adult busted here for acid indicated it was purchased from what's known as the Llama Tribe in Spokane, Sanger said.

The city's narcotics detectives worked with a federal agency to infiltrate the organization in an undercover capacity and obtained evidence that led to the arrests, according to a news release.

Palmer Hanson, 26, and Allen Lint, 26, both of Yakima, Wash., were arrested Thursday in Spokane by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, according to a news release.

The Llama Tribe allegedly sold drugs at barter fairs throughout the Northwest, police said. Dozens of local drug users ranging from 16 to 24 years old have reported to Sandpoint narcotics detectives that they obtained acid, ecstasy, mushrooms and marijuana from local barter fairs and brought the drugs to Sandpoint for re-sale or personal use.

"A barter fair, from my perspective, is purely a gathering place where people buy and sell," Sanger said. "The person who sponsors the fair puts out information to like-minded individuals, asking for vendors to come in to sell jewelry, clothing and food. It's (also) a free market for drugs."

Money isn't always exchanged for drugs, and drugs are openly sold and consumed, he said.

Normally held on private property, these barter fairs are difficult to bust, Sanger said.

"It's difficult to infiltrate on private property," he said. "There are several people involved and you need to get a search warrant for that property. We have to identify who we are going after."

Traditionally, the property owner isn't dealing drugs, but aware of the activity, he said.

"It's a counterculture with a lot of drumming and dancing," Sanger said. "They're usually in the country and will be referred to as family reunions."

For Sandpoint Det. Sgt. George Gow, who is retiring as one of the most experienced drug investigators in Idaho, dismantling the organization that's been Sandpoint's drug supplier is a satisfying end to his career.

http://www.bonnercountydailybee.com/...ews/news01.txt

[Heretic.Ape.]

Glad to hear the threat of hippies hanging around dancing and drumming while high on acid is being addressed by the authorities. I feel much safer.

[Nagognog2]

Just to make his retirement perfect - we should send him a copy of "Helter Skelter" signed by "Charlie Manson - You new neighbor."

[fnord]

got an address? i keep the dead rats my cat brings me in the freezer for a reason...

for those that havent before check out the llamas camp at burning man.pay some respect for those soldiers lost to the drug war.




wonder whats in that jug?

[violinist3749]

90%? No way. Even if it is, should be fun watching more people coming to take their place.

[lulz]

Originally Posted by violinist3749

90%? No way.

All it took was two guys working in a missile silo to produce a third of the LSD in the country, til they got busted.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...7/MN154990.DTL

[fnord]

i could think of better things to do with a missile silo....

today on CNN: DEA HQ was attacked with several missiles,a group calling it self "snazzy suit coats for weasels" has taken responsibility and promises more missiles will be deployed untill every weasel in the country is outfitted with a snazzy costume...

[Felonious Skunk]

You guys have been hoodwinked by a rent-a-cop from a small town who's bored with writing up parking tickets and so is telling some big lies.

Sandpoint, Idaho
Pop. 6,000

[fnord]

Originally Posted by Felonious Skunk

You guys have been hoodwinked by a rent-a-cop from a small town who's bored with writing up parking tickets and so is telling some big lies.

Sandpoint, Idaho
Pop. 6,000

what do you mean?can you show some proof?

[Rio Fantastic]

Why are they targeting acid? Most of the large-scale acid production places seem to be getting hit now by the F.B.I. Why are they devoting so much time to it?

[xctico]

Originally Posted by Rio Fantastic

Why are they targeting acid? Most of the large-scale acid production places seem to be getting hit now by the F.B.I. Why are they devoting so much time to it?

This will be great business for the European LSD manufacturers.

[hoodabudda]

Originally Posted by Rio Fantastic

Why are they targeting acid? Most of the large-scale acid production places seem to be getting hit now by the F.B.I. Why are they devoting so much time to it?

because an ammount that could fit in your average dime bag could get 100,000+ people very high for 8 hours or so.

[chemlove]

Originally Posted by Rio Fantastic

Why are they targeting acid? Most of the large-scale acid production places seem to be getting hit now by the F.B.I. Why are they devoting so much time to it?

I think that its safe to say the feds don't want you to have acid, i think its safe to say that all law enforcement don't want you to have acid this shouldn't come as a surprise because its been that way since the middle sixties. I think the feds honestly want to bust the people doing acid more then the people using heroin and cocaine. I hate to say it, but the fact you can make it (synth) makes the gov that much more paranoid about lsd.

[Felonious Skunk]

Originally Posted by fnord

what do you mean?can you show some proof?

Here's the revised version, and the story's changed considerably. Now the arrest is "expected to reduce drug trafficking in Bonner County." And don't you find it strange that a bust purporting to crack a ring supplying 90% of acid on the West Coast is only being reported in the Bonner County Bee?

This is as small-time as it gets, fellas.


Investigation ends in arrests
Posted: Wednesday, Aug 01, 2007 - 09:17:24 am PDT
By GWEN ALBERS
Staff writer



SANDPOINT -- Dozens of local drug users provided city police with information that led to a Thursday arrest that's expected to reduce drug trafficking in Bonner County.
Some of these local drug users, who reportedly ranged from 16 to 24 years, have already been arrested.

Others were confidential informants, Police chief Mark Lockwood said Tuesday.

Lockwood would not comment when asked about the confidential informants and their fates because the investigation continues.

"We spent a year (with this investigation)," he said. "There was a lot of linkage that was done there through criminal analysis."

The investigation involving Sandpoint police going undercover to help federal officials resulted in the arrest two leaders from this major drug trafficking ring known as Llama Tribe. Palmer Hanson, 26, and Allen Lint, 26, both of Yakima, Wash., were arrested in Spokane by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Sandpoint police gained trust of leaders who belong to the Llama Tribe, according to a news release. The group is believed to have supplied up to 90 percent of the acid in the western United States. The group also supplied this area with acid, mushrooms, ecstasy and marijuana.

Sandpoint narcotics detectives learned local drug users obtained these drugs from area barter fairs and brought the drugs to Sandpoint for resale or personal use.

A barter fair is a gathering of people who buy and sell things like jewelry, clothing and food on private property. It's also a market for drugs, which are openly sold and consumed.

These fairs are difficult to bust. Warrants are difficult to obtain because police need to identify who they are after. The property owner generally doesn't deal drugs, but is aware of the activity.

It's believed enough people from the area were going to these barter fairs not to buy drugs for just personal use, Lockwood said.

"These fairs are all part of the investigation," he said. "There's probably a lot of folks who've seen them and attended them."

"This is still an active (drug ring)," Lockwood continued. "We took some people off the top. We don't know where this will lead."

It's possible Hanson and Lint could be charged by Sandpoint police.

"We're going to leave that option on the table," Lockwood said. "It's a joint investigation. They're going through the federal system, but that doesn't exclude filing state charges in the future."

[lulz]

Originally Posted by Felonious Skunk

Here's the revised version, and the story's changed considerably. Now the arrest is "expected to reduce drug trafficking in Bonner County."

This article isn't revised, the original article said the same thing. The second article also repeats the claim of supplying 90% of west coast acid. Both articles say that they only supplied other drugs locally.

Given how much of the stuff a skilled and able chemist can produce, and the small number of large scale suppliers out there, the figure of 90% in the west coast sounds entirely plausible.

[Corksil]

familiar trend - HUGE HEADLINE (catch readers and upper echelon news organizations, key people who might bring it up, raise publicity level) ...then a quiet revised follow up in the corner where no one will see it. Quite easy to 'make progress in the drug war' with that strategy...

[KBLSD]

acid is not gone u just need to know where to look

Reputation Comments on this post:

Useless, self-serving post.

[Felonious Skunk]

Lulz,

Wasn't trying to imply the story isn't newsworthy, but as mystereo said, this small town paper was playing games with the headlines and also by quoting that imbecile cop in the first story. Wonder why they edited him out of the second story? Probably got a little heat from his superiors for concocting bogus soundbites that may have disappointed some VIP's when they found out the truth.

[grandbaby]

This is why there's a discrepancy in perception: the headline was "Drug ring responsible for 90% BUSTED!!!" ... the actual story is "Two guys involved with group responsible for 90% arrested."

"This is still an active (drug ring)," Lockwood continued. "We took some people off the top. We don't know where this will lead."

The small-time cop quoted in the first article was patently an assclown trying to make himself look big. FS is entirely right: this is not unimportant (free the Yakima Two!), but is unlikely to cause any change in the availability of LSD ... even in Bonner County.

[wednesday]

"It's a very complex drug manufacturing operation. It's not a meth lab where you can get a recipe from the Internet."

they can't find recipes on the internet for acid?
hmm
this is kind of sad though
i wish it wasn't so

[KBLSD]

LSD is Devil in the eye of the government and the government is the Devil in the eye of the LSD user

[augentier]

This blows. Sometimes my cat wishes she were an adult in the early 90s..she heard LSD was booming here in Kansas at that time (oh poor Wamego) Now it is nowhere to be found..

[KBLSD]

Originally Posted by augentier

This blows. Sometimes my cat wishes she were an adult in the early 90s..she heard LSD was booming here in Kansas at that time (oh poor Wamego) Now it is nowhere to be found..

how far are u from Lawrence? Lawrence is awesome

[Feelingood]

Trust me this bust has had zero affect on the availability of acid in washington, where it is really booming right now.