DEA now using BLACKWATER??

kinda looks like it from this picture..



thats not standard issue dress for a DEA agent to wear during a raid is it??
undercover? possibly but this was a raid on a M.M. dispensary. ive never saw them wear anything but there T shirts or jackets with "DEA" in white on them myself..

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Does_tshirt_show_Blackwater_along_on_0804.html


When a California medical marijuana dispensary, Organica Collective, was raided last Thursday by agents of the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency and local police, the Los Angeles Times ran a dramatic story on the incident, accompanied by a set of photographs showing the raid and its aftermath. According to the Times, witnesses described the DEA agents as "removing computers, medicine and money, and using a steel cylinder battering ram to get into the upstairs bedrooms." When they left four hours later, all that remained was "trash, counters strewn with open and empty glass jars, piles of receipts thrown on the ground, upturned couch cushions, bits of marijuana on the edges of counters and an ATM with its doors torn open and emptied. ... An outdoor vegetable garden had plants uprooted, along with marijuana plants removed by the agents."
However, one particular photograph from the Times story has drawn more attention than anything else. That picture, which has now been widely reproduced at blogs, shows a long-haired man, wearing a Blackwater tshirt and with a pistol at his belt, passing a box marked "DEA Evidence" to other agents participating in the raid.
Blackwater, a private mercenary army often employed by the US government for security services and by local police forces for training, has drawn widespread criticism for its shoot-em-up tactics in Iraq and has recently aroused suspicion by its establishment of a private intelligence service and its growing role in global drug enforcement.
A medical marijuana website may have been the first to draw attention to the picture, noting, "We’re used to the DEA calling in help from various federal agencies and local law enforcement. But I guess none of their usual buddies were available yesterday because from the picture below, which appeared in the LA Times today, it looks like they had to resort to calling in Blackwater."
The next day, Tim King of Salem-News.com gave wider distribution to the story, writing, "Are members of a disputed mercenary killer group now working with the DEA? A photo from the LA Times shows proof of one of two things; either Blackwater members are now working for the Bush White House's Drug Enforcement Agency, or this semi-illegitimate band of rogue federal cops have worse discipline than any of us ever imagined."
The photo has since been taken down by the Times, but it has continued to circulate online. Although there has been no previous suggestion of a Blackwater role in domestic drug enforcement, the single picture was sufficient enough to set off furious discussion at both left-wing and libertarian message boards and blogs.
At Democratic Underground, posters generally acknowledged there was no proof of Blackwater involvement and some pointed out that tshirts of the sort shown in the photograph are available online.
However, others found the idea possible, citing Sen. John McCain's recent call for an Iraq-style approach to urban crime. One poster even claimed, "They were also used in raids in Humboldt County last month against the growers....Operation Southern Sweep. Can't find any news stories about it, but some people I know have said they were using Blackwater as well as DEA agents."
At Boing Boing, however, a more skeptical commenter suggested, "I'm willing to bet he's DEA. Blackwater probably wouldn't hire someone who looked that scuzzy, but DEA agents frequently look like dirtbags. Would YOU sell dope to someone who looked like a federal agent?"

 

I love how it can only be (one of two things) "and only i can pick those" it proves nothing.

Maybe he bought the t-shirt online, for $13.00 you can get 1 too.

 

It wouldn't surprise me they were used during Katrina. I was never quite sure what their role was then or who they were actually working for.

http://www.blackwaterusa.com/btw2005/archive/090505btw.html

I am not sure whose security they were providing for.

 

the point is if he was DEA,since when do they allow there officers to wear something other than standard issue DEA shirts or jackets?




yes you can buy them online,the article states that,AND PROVIDES A LINK,,duh huh.. but thanks for reiterating it...

that proves nothing though..

have you ever saw a DEA officer on the job in the public eye not wearing a jacket or shirt saying DEA on it?? in all my years i know i havent...

 

It appears the issue came up earlier, although Blackwater isn't specifically mentioned in 2005.

http://narcosphere.narconews.com/node/875

 

Maybe medical marijuana is now seen as narcoterrorism?

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38003&dcn=e_hsw

 

Wouldn't be surprised if they've run out of DEA because they've been shipped off to Iraq. I wonder how long it'll be before blackwater turn up doing secretarial work and giving tour guides.

 

Isn't Medical marijuanna legal in California?

What happened to the principal of Federalism?

These goverment agencies are over funded, overstaffed and overmandated.

The State of Florida just enacted jail time for an indoor grow of 25 plants.

 

I see in some situations it makes sense to outsource tactical assitance. If a team of 40 agents is needed to conduct an operation or raid, and local SWAT only has 15, it may be more effective to use a private contractor. As long as the government agency maintains tactical command, I don't see what the outrage is.

 

The loving government will be there to save you. Just give up all your rights so they can protect you from those Muslim evil doers that hate you for your freedom.

Blackwater is gooood. Blackwater is loooving.

 

I would guess a week or 2 after they started undercover operations .

Have you seen a copy of DEA dress-code?

The pony-tail and soul patch tells me he's probably a "out of uniform" type of guy.

 

either your comprehension skills are falling way off or your just being a troll..
i said other than undercover.. and i assure you this was not a undercover operation. it was a raid..

all LEO for there own protection wear clothing that identifies themselves as such during raids so as not to be shot by there own in the confusion...

also why would the DEA compromise one of there under covers by having him operate beside uniformed officers in plain view of the world?
i mean usually when under covers participate in a raid they have masks on to conceal there identity..

dont be such a fucking moron...

 

Wacky, I think it would be fair to import in PMO rent-a-soldiers in a raid (well, assuming that we say that the raids are fair in the first place) but blackwater are kinda renowned for incompetence and brutality.

 

Bullshit, at what cost triple the domestic labor cost? We are talking medical marijuana, not a South American drug cartel.

More effective...that's the excuse that's always used by freemarketers, but the fact is with so little oversight and so much corruption, private contractors and outsourcing costs the taxpayers more than letting the agencies already authorized to deal with the issues, deal with them through ordinary channels, and staffing. They won't even take the jobs without a promise of immunity from prosecution. Who does that protect?

If they only have 15, then they should wait until they can efficiently effect an arrest, not hire mercenaries to do their bidding.

 

Blackwater and hired contractors in my state are not above the law. Perhaps they got their training institution approved in San Diego for the Navy, but they are not above the law, and they better not appear in my county armed and presenting themselves as law enforcement. This is an armed rural community. We elect and hire our local law enforcement, we don't contract it out to paid mercenaries.

And I think there are some good old boys around here willing to argue. But then they aren't allowed automatic weapons like Blackwater, but I think they could give them quite a fight. Blackwater might want to raise their rates in this area.

But then they have a huge labor pool of returning vets to recruit from. Trouble is we here at home don't wear turbans, will they find it as easy to shoot?

 

im curious how does a private contractor get a permit to possess and use automatic wepons when the genral puplick can not? hhmmmmm?
eventually blackwater just might get big enugh to overthrow the government or stage a coup just a thought!!

 

Anybody with a clean record (no felonies, weapons related charges, etc..) can own an automatic weapon. As well as a supressed weapon. I own several. I paid a $200 tranfer for each weapon ($400 for an auto supressed, $200 for auto, $200 for supressor). Full auto or 3 round burst same class. Class 3 transfer. I have an M4 that I built and paid $600 in transfer tax. It has a 14" barrel ($200 for SBR short barreled rifle tax), suppressor ($200 tax), automatic receiver with 3 round burst action ($200 tax). I have about $12k in this weapon. Even a ragged out vietnam era automatic M16 receiver with fetch around $8k. There is no practical reason for the average person to own a weapon like this, but they can if they have the money. Shit you could buy a belt fed M249 SAW if you have $75k, or a vehicle mounted 7.62mm Dillon minigun if you've got a couple hundred. And of course $200 for the tranfer.

 

Oh yeah, and in the case of private contractors, corporations which own NFA weapons can loan them to any employee of the corporation with a letter of permission on the corporate letterhead.

 

so is there is realy no ban on automatic weapons just restrictions? do states themselves have a say in this?

 

Only automatic weapons that were manufactured before 1986 can be sold to civilians. Automatic weapons manufactured after 1986 can only be sold to government or LE. It is called the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986.

Because of this, the available pool of automatic weapons available to civilians is limited. This is why the prices are so astronomical. I think the cheapest automatic that I have seen was a .380 caliber stamped steel receiver POS, similar to a Mac. The price tag was $1600. It was supressed, so the transfer would be $400. These cheap weapons are useless. They are cheaply made and difficult to shoot accurately. The only thing they are good for is to spray 30 rounds in a wide pattern in about 2 seconds. Any effective (meaning accurate) auto that I have seen will run at least $10k.

Full autos are not even that desired in a tactical or combat situation. Because of barrel lift, firing an auto weapon continuously while maintaining accuracy is very difficult. This is why a lot of Military and LE weapons are 3 round burst (still classified as an automatic however). H&K MP5's are the most accurate full auto submachine weapons I have ever fired, which is why they are the ideal choice for SWAT, SEALs, or any CQB strike group. Sorry, kind of getting off on a tangent here.

As far as enforcement, the ATF oversees all activity of these weapons. Carrying one of these weapons across state lines has to be approved by the ATF. Selling one of these weapons needs to be approved by the ATF. And at any time, the owner of the weapon needs to provide a copy of the ATF form with valid tax stamp. Interstingly enough, local police officers cannot demand to see your permit, they have no authority. I have had encounters with local LE at public shooting ranges (from others reporting the use of automatic weapons). Even though they technically do not have jurisdiction, this is not a case where you want to get in a pissing match. They are still LE, and can still be pricks. I carry copies of all permits with me at all times, just to elimate complications. These weapons are too expensive to fuck around with. LE will surely confiscate and ask questions later if you try being a hardass with them. While NFA weapons are controlled by the ATF, individual states can also get involved. Usually it is involved in the application and approval of sale process.

Because of the cost and regulation of these weapons, they do not make them very attractive to criminals. Anybody who can own a firearm could build a full auto M16 for under a grand. You can purchase a brand new licensed stripped lower receiver for about $100 from just about any gun dealer, and then simply mail order the full auto parts set, auto sear, and upper, and you have a safe, full function (illegal) automatic weapons. AK's are just as easy. Automatic parts sets are readily available, and easily purchased via mail order. The penalties for violating this act are severe, and people really need to be educated on what is legal and what is not. Just because you can legally purchase some full auto parts, does not make it legal to own them, if you own a legal model of the gun that the parts fit. They call this "Constructive Posession". Meaning, if I own a legal semi-automatic AR-15, and purchase a drop in auto sear via mail order(which is legal), simply posessing the legal weapon and any full auto parts is a violation of the act. (This is also true with any parts that would classify the weapon as NFA if they were installed. Short barrels, etc..) The gun and parts will be confiscated, your right to own a firearm in the future may be revoked, and they will likely charge you with Tax Evasion (because of the $200 tax stamp that is required), and you could spend up to 10 years in prison with a possible additional 5 on the tax evasion charge. The rules are enforced, and they are serious.