| Phoenix New Times |
| Arizona Go Green Co-Op was raided by the DEA on Thursday. |
The federal Drug Enforcement Administration has raided a medical marijuana cooperative in Tempe, Arizona, claiming the owners were involved in the illegal sale of drugs.
DEA agents began showing up at the Arizona Go Green Co-Op at 426 East Southern Avenue in Tempe around 8 a.m. on Thursday, reports Anita Roman at Fox 10. Two people were arrested in the raid.
Officials claimed the DEA was acting on information that “a marijuana dispensary was illegally operating in Arizona.” Agents pulled evidence from the building, including bags of different varieties of medical marijuana.
An employee at at nearby business said he saw four agents raiding the place dressed in full SWAT gear, including assault rifles, body armor and masks. “It’s unclear why the DEA dressed as if they were going after Los Zetas instead of medical marijuana doctors, patients or caregivers,” reports Ray Stern at Phoenix New Times.
The employee said he and other business owners knew the place had been operating as a medical marijuana club in the small office complex, but he hadn’t seen or heard of any problems relating to the cooperative.
Owners James Chaney and Rachael Beeder face charges of conspiracy to distribute marijuana, according to the DEA.
Dr. James Eisenberg, a physician at the clinic, is also accused of illegally selling other prescription medications, according to Fox 10. He left a note on the door saying he’ll be out until October 1.
Eisenberg has been licensed in Arizona since August 2009, with no complaints on file, according to Arizona Medical Board records.
“The problem here is simple,” Phoenix New Times notes. “Arizona voters passed the medical marijuana act last November expecting to see medical marijuana dispensaries, but Governor Jan Brewer thwarted that legal election and derailed the dispensary program. If the compassion clubs are also shut down, medical marijuana patients — now totaling more than 11,000, according to the most recent report on the Arizona Department of Health Services website — won’t have a legal place to obtain their medicine.”
DEA Raids Medical Marijuana Clinic in Tempe: MyFoxPHOENIX.com