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Busted ... by GPS Turtle!

By Alex in Animal, Crime & Law on Aug 18, 2008 at 4:24 pm


Bad idea: growing marijuana.
Really bad idea: growing marijuana on U.S. park land
Neatorama worthy: getting busted by a turtle equipped with a GPS tracking device.

You might call him a pint-sized crime fighter. A box turtle equipped with GPS helps police nab a suspect growing marijuana in Rock Creek Park.

Just south of the DC/Maryland line, a turtle wearing a GPS device for research purposes makes an amazing discovery. "The ranger in charge of the program discovered the turtle in the middle of a marijuana field," Sgt. Robert Lachance of the U.S. Park Police says. [...]

Growing marijuana on U.S. park land is never a good idea, and it’s illegal. So U.S. Park Police set up surveillance. Sgt. Lachance says, "We soon discovered we had a culprit who was actively working the field."

Link – via bioephemera


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COMMENT
  1. Justin
    Aug 18th, 2008 at 7:34 pm

    Hey I live near there... WAIT MY POT! :P

  2. FetishForPerception
    Aug 18th, 2008 at 8:17 pm

    Wicked, they've got turtles policing cannabis production. Just goes to prove how much of a joke the whole law on cannabis is...

  3. Johnny Cat
    Aug 18th, 2008 at 8:54 pm

    Slow and steady wins the war on drugs.

  4. The Foreigner
    Aug 18th, 2008 at 9:47 pm

    "I would have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for that meddling turtle!"

  5. Ty
    Aug 19th, 2008 at 1:05 am

    okay, so what exactly did the turtle do?

  6. Aerek
    Aug 19th, 2008 at 3:22 am

    "crime"

  7. Nostra
    Aug 19th, 2008 at 5:31 am

    I know if I was that park ranger, I would've thanked the turtle and not called a damn soul. Too bad about the plants.. I bet they got dug up and salted.

    Still, kind of silly to grow illegal plants on government land... -_-

  8. ted
    Aug 19th, 2008 at 6:58 am

    That's probably why you're not a park ranger, Nostra.

    Plenty more illegal drugs to take the place of those plants, I'm sure.

  9. H8tred
    Aug 19th, 2008 at 7:34 am

    The park officials had the turtle wired with GPS to track its movements. My best guess is that they were checking up on it in the field on a daily schedule. One day they went looking for it and found it in the middle of said field.
    Sadly, regardless of where you are, such a crime can get you charged on both the state level and a federal level.

    DC laws as follows; Cultivation Or Sale, Any amount felony, Time up to 5 years, Fine of up to $50,000.

    Within 1000 feet of school or other specified area felony, double time penalty, double fine penalty.

    Federal;
    Sale or Cultivation

    Less than 50 kg felony 5 years $250,000

    50 to 100 kg felony 20 years $1,000,000

    100 to 1,000 kg felony 5 - 40 years $2,000,000

    1000 kg or more felony 10 years - life $4,000,000

    To a minor felony double penalty double penalty

    Within 1,000 feet of a school, or other specified areas felony double penalty double penalty

    So yeah, this dude is done.

  10. SoLo
    Aug 19th, 2008 at 8:15 am

    The turtle did nothing but play the shill in a stupid shell game. =0

  11. eGads
    Aug 19th, 2008 at 11:21 am

    Go Terps! Fear the Turtle!

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