On Tuesday December 12th the largest single marijuana cultivation bust in the history of the DEA was dismissed in the 9th circuit courts by Judge Meredith Patel. Judge Patel ordered that all evidence and information taken from and used against Charles Edward “Eddy” Lepp in the 2004 Raid of Lepp’s home, ministry and garden (better known as Eddy’s Medicinal Gardens and Multi-Denominational Ministry of Cannabis and Rastafari) be suppressed due to the illegal service of warrants. The raid conducted in August of 2004 was a considerably large one. The DEA confiscated 32,524 plants on Lepp’s 20+ acre home and ministry taking a total of two days and using members of the local law enforcement and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Elite National Guard Wolf Team. The DEA estimated it to be an 80 million dollar bust calling it the most sophisticated cultivation they had ever seen.

Judge Patel has called for a Franks hearing on January 9th 2007 at 9:30am about the warrant from the 05 raid on Lepp’s home and ministry. At this time they will hear testimony from witnesses for both the prosecution and the defense to determine the validity of the warrant and the information used to attain it. It is the hope of the defense to prove once again the criminal behavior of the DEA by the attainment of yet another illegal warrant. This hearing is open to the public and is on the 19th floor of the Federal Court Building in San Francisco at 450 Golden Gate Ave.