Transcript of today's SF DOJ press conference

June 23, 2005
Press Conference Statement of U.S. Attorney Kevin Ryan

I attended today's press conference at the U.S. Attorneys Office in San Francisco which addressed yesterday's raid of three medical cannabis facilities in the city. Since the press conference was not open to the public, I am posting my own transcript of what was discussed there. Reporters who attended were required to show their ID to enter the San Francisco Federal Building. They had their press credentials scrutinized, were escorted upstairs, and then filed past armed federal officers before being allowed into the U.S. Attorney's office for the press conference.

The first statement comes from U.S. Attorney Kevin Ryan. More to follow...

My name is Kevin Ryan I’m the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California I want to thank you for coming today. I want to issue a statement with regards to enforcement activity that occurred yesterday in the San Francisco Bay Area yesterday by multiple agencies involved in the enforcement of our federal laws. As you know at this point, agents from the federal government as well as with the assistance of state and local police departments and agencies, executed search warrants at multiple locations - 26 different locations in the Bay Area, all pursuant to state and federal search warrants issued by judges.

Additionally, arrest warrants have been issued and an indictment had been handed down by a Grand Jury sitting in this jurisdiction on June 16th which was under seal until today’s date, a copy of which has been made available for all of you. The indictment alleges and charges 19 individuals with conspiracy to grow and traffic over 1,000 plants of marijuana over a four-year period. Additionally, three individuals have been charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute ecstasy and two individuals have been charged with a conspiracy to engage in money laundering.

Additionally, yesterday after the enforcement activity, an arrest warrant was issued for one Vince Ming Wan who is also now wanted by authorities for conspiracy to distribute over 1,000 plants of marijuana.

In the course of this two year investigation, federal and local and state police officers and agencies have executed a total of 47 search warrants at multiple locations including 27 indoor grow sites. In addition to the seizures that occurred yesterday, and they are as follows: yesterday we seized over 9,000 marijuana plants, in fact the total number at this point is 9,309. Without counting on the evidence itself from yesterday, historically that number of plants would have a street value of approximately $5 or more dollars. Three firearms were located, a rifle, a pistol and a revolver.

Eight vehicles were seized and at one location at least, two rather large rottweilers were escorted out of the premises. Over the last two years, in addition to the seizure yesterday, earlier searches also pursuant to state and federal search warrants, resulted in the seizure of an additional 8,500 marijuana plants. With - in conjunction with those searches - a discovery of operational facilities capable of growing and producing over 18,000 marijuana plants.

At this point I would like to thank the agencies involved in the investigation over the last several years, including specifically, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the San Francisco Police Department, the Oakland Police Department, the Internal Revenue Service, the United States Secret Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the San Mateo Narcotics Task Force, and the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement.