Raw Foodists Charged with Smuggling Chocolate
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada on 10. 8.08
Image: Raw chocolate or gasp - hashish? (Garry Choo on Flickr)
Absurd but true – Ron Obadia and Nadine Artemis, two owners of the Toronto-based raw food and beauty care company Living Libations were arrested last month at the US-Canadian border on their way to Arizona, after drug-sniffing dogs found their 2.5 pounds cache of raw, unrefined chocolate – which officials mistook as hashish. After hours of intimidating interrogation tactics and threats of “life in jail” by Canadian enforcement authorities, a drug test returned a false positive, identifying the raw chocolate as hashish. According to Natural News:
After ... other dishonest tactics used by law enforcement to try to get them to "admit" to drug trafficking, they were finally released on bail. Their baby son was returned to them, and they went home. For the next 30 days, they were subjected to surprise visits by Children's Aid employees (the Canadian version of Child Protective Services), who were told by law enforcement authorities that Ron and Nadine were drug smugglers.Over this 30 day period, as felony drug trafficking charges were pending against them, Ron and Nadine managed to connect with legal help. Their lawyer, Marcy Segal, was able to persuade the Crown Attorney to send the chocolate "hashish" sample to a proper lab for testing. And wouldn't you know it: The test showed that chocolate is chocolate, not hashish.
But that’s not all – after being cleared by the lab tests, the couple attempted to travel again – they do a lot of business in the US – but this time it was US customs that stopped them, as Natural News reports:
Their lawyer had contacted U.S. authorities in advance, advising them that Ron and Nadine were bringing chocolate through their security checkpoints as they crossed from Canada to the United States. "Watch out, it's chocolate!"They were told everything was understood, and the chocolate would be allowed through. Imagine their surprise, however, when Ron and Nadine were once against arrested at the airport and accused of -- guess what? -- smuggling hashish disguised as chocolate!
U.S. law enforcement authorities boost their careers when they take part in big drug busts, and 2.5 pounds of hashish was a huge bust by anyone's accounting. So they had every incentive to try to make this bust stick.
Desperate to prove themselves right, the American drug enforcement police ripped though Ron and Nadine's luggage and clothing, opening every vial, asking questions about all the "strange" things they found there.
What kind of strange things? Sea salt. Zeolites. Tea tree oil. Essential oils. Hemp seeds. Probiotics. Raw cacao nibs. You know, dangerous superfoods and supplements.
They were questioned at great length about all these "strange" substances. Apparently, law enforcement personnel have actually never seen superfoods! Subsisting on a diet of processed foods and diet soda, they apparently believe real food is a foreign substance... a criminal substance, in fact. It is a strange world, indeed, when those who claim to uphold the laws of the land have zero familiarity with food harvested from the land...
The couple now face $22,000 in legal bills, even though they have done nothing wrong. They plan to sue the Canadian government for false arrest. Maybe raw chocolate is so good that it is criminal?
Related Links on Raw Chocolate
Chocolate of Mass Destruction (Cryptogon)
A raw deal: Health and environmental benefits of raw chocolate (Guardian)
The Raw Chocolate Revolution (Detox Your World)
100 Megawatts of Wind Turbines Planned for British Canals
|
Pee Filter Runs on Poo: Dean Kamen Offers Solution to Water Needs
|
sounds like the border patrol is finally effective and doing its job. Even if once in a while they get false positives, its refreshing to know they are vigilante...
hahahah oh wow
This is just another example of the "war on drugs" being ridiculous! I would think that they might have a decent case against the US customs as well. Just to play it safe, they should probably pack lighter next time.
After all the problems the first time around, why didn't they just FedEx it?
KM ... you really think its feasible to send chocolate thru fedex?
This story is crazy but it proves how nost american officials have this mindset of the letter of the law, not its intent.
I cross this border every day and learned that it is advisable to stay out of trouble. Don't bring food across borders without declaring it, especially if it COULD be seen as something illegal. Declare the stuff as required by law. Know what you can bring. Make sure it is labeled or officially certified with necessary papers. Don't be surprised if it gets you in trouble if you hide it. It is the officers job to prevent illegal substances from entering the country and some people try ingenious methods to do it anyways. It should not come as news that in a few cases small violations have resulted in long-lasting trouble in either country. Be careful. You are crossing into a different country and both the USA and Canada seem to feel quite strongly about smuggling.
Karsten
New ad slogan "...raw chocolate is so good that it is criminal."
For the new "Living Libations Legal Defense Fund Bar"
When I was a kid, my driver's ed teacher was explaining defensive driving to us. His favorite saying was "There's right and then there's dead right.". Basically, there are two versions of being in the "right" - the one that has no consequences and the one that will get you killed.
Apply that same concept to this situation. I have to agree with commenter km - why the heck did they not completely avoid the situation the second time?
Too bad the US didn't arrest them, a lawsuit here for false arrest would have generated millions :p
Speaking of hemp, if hemp were legal, wouldn't it be able to save the enviroment with all the positiive ecological benifits it provides? why is it not legal? how can we make it become legal?
This is a remarkable story! Why is it so difficult for professionally trained drug SWAT teams to determine the difference between hash and cacao??
Perhaps the authorities should watch our Super Natural Adventures segment shot in the Costa Rican rain forest about where chocolate comes from and how it's made.
Check it out at: www.supernaturaladventures.com Click on the video titled "Chocolate" to the right of the Featured Videos found on the home page. Enjoy!
Please, Canada, don't turn into the U.S.
Too bad the Mexican/US border watchers aren't as vigilant. Isn't that where most of our illegal substances cross?
dan rossinis, Cathoilic Times...wow...just wow
How could anyone support this abuse of power?
I'm Canadian, and I know from experience that border patrol on either side of the fence can be extremely nasty. They pretty much just assume that you are a terrorist/drug smuggler and you have to prove that you're not.
It seems a little ridiculous to me that in this case, the border patrol must have thought that hashish smells like chocolate. I know you can't say 'it's chocolate, just taste it!', but aren't they allowed to smell things?
They will easily win a lawsuit for 6 figures. Why can't I win the lottery like this?! Lucky bums...
This is SO ridiculous. If You go to read the full article You'll see that the U.S. gov't officials even told them to eat more "normal" food, such as asking why they can't just eat a kitkat?? People can be SO dumb!! They do not even know what is an essential, pure, raw, fully healthy food, nor do they care to find out about it.
And Jon, hemp IS legal, it is just marijuana that is not, with is a specific part of the plant. hemp does not contain THC so it is legal. I have hemp twine that i use for everything b/c it is so strong. I also drink hemp milk, eat hemp protein powder, and use hemp oil. There is also clothing, paper, soap, and so many more things that are made of hemp!! It IS great for the environment!!
MissCashew,
I think he meant why is it illegal in (most of) the US to grow hemp. Hemp is perfectly legal in any form in the US, but it's usually imported from Canada. Very few people (people with permits and special permission in a FEW areas) can grow hemp legally in the US. We have our DEA to thank for that.
Hemp could produce environmentally-friendly and efficient cloth, paper, food, and lots of other things. But hey, it looks lot pot and the DEA couldn't just hire a biologist to see the difference. That's what Arnold said when they tried to make growing hemp legal in California-- he vetoed it because it would cost too much time/money to investigate every hemp field to make sure it wasn't marijuana. Pft..
Everyone should always remember that law enfoercement people are known to get over zealous, and even lie to make a case, and many of them are lawbreakers themselves. If you are ever questioned by these people , no matter how innocent the questions may sound to you there is only one word you should ever utter, and that is "Lawyer", an then shut up. Do not let these over agressive people intimidate you. They have put many an innocent person in prison and are never to be trusted.
lol...
Bad doggy! Next time try another border crossing, and hope the mutt wasn't transferred there in the mean time. What was their attorney thinking, calling the US "authorities"? I can just hear the conversation in the break room; "get a load of this call I took " Someone wants us to believe what may look like hashish is really chocolate!!" I'm surprised the laughter wasn't heard throughout North America. Someone give that attorney his sign*, so that the next person thinking about hiring the attorney has fair warning The moronic war on drugs, creates more grief than it prevents, I suspect.
* the STUPID sign
Scary\Funny
What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty. Unbelievable , We can put a man on the moon but can't understand natural unadulterated foods. We have become to accustomed with over packaged, sprayed and sealed, wrapped and shipped that a simple cacao nib is considered bizarre and un heard of. Wow what is this ? Natural foods, thats very new. Wow , I hope these poor people are compensated, are written apology letters, hugged and welcomed home with open arms wherever home may be. Love is So much Stronger than Fear. Keep Living with Love
Peace and Progress
They really have nothing better to do -_-
Let's remove all of the politics from the situation and examine it from a completely neutral position ...
Point 1 - Border Patrol & Customs have a job to perform. That job involves stopping suspicious looking items from entering their country.
Point 2 - As a member of the travelling public, you should be aware of the items that you can safely carry across international borders and the paperwork required to carry those items across the border.
Assumption 1 - Field drug tests are not 100% reliable and will generally give a false positive instead of false negative (based on the principle of better safe, than sorry).
Assumption 2 - Raw chocolate has a visual resemblance to hasish and/or can be added to hashish (and it was this fact that started the whole situation).
Based on those two points and two assumptions, it clear that both sides were in the wrong during this confrontation. First, the Raw Foodist were carrying food items across international borders without proper paperwork. Second, they happened to run into overzealous law enforcement officers because of the quanitity of food being transported. While it would be good for the law enforcement agencies involved to apologize, it would also be a positive step for Ron & Nadine to admit that they made a mistake. If they had taken care to have the proper paperwork for the chocolate and other 'mysterious' items in their possession, would the situation have escalated? In my opinon, no and therefore, they should take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that they have brought.
If shoes can be bombs (see Richard Reed), then chocolate can be hashish (and we have no evidence that hashish has never been smuggled either labeled as chocolate or mixed into chocolate).
Hey Onk, pull your head from your liberal butt and wake up. I am a Canadian, and can tell you without a doubt that the place has a swinging door policy for any person from any country.
Have you forgotten that some of the 9/11 attackers entered the country via Canada?
The gov's on both sides have an obligation to protect their citizens, and this obligation by far outweighs individual privileges.
The soap opera watching public needs to differentiate between the word "Right" and the concept of "Privilege".
They had a privilege (not a right) to cross into another country. They forfeited it by being ingorant of the consequences of what they were carrying...not once but twice. No different than trying to carry a gallon of gas onto an airplane because it's cheaper than where they are going.
They were stupid. They are paying the price. I'm glad the people are on the border, in the air, and on the ground reading my email and tapping my phone if necessary...if it means I won't get blown up going to the mall.
Sadly, it appears that the lawyers have instilled the idea that nobody is responsible for their own actions any more.
Look, all they had to do was taste it. And even if it *had been* hash, it would have done the jerks some good to mellow the F out!
I've been harangued by Canadian border patrol because it took longer than .25 seconds to answer one of their questions. It was ridiculous. Just because I smell like patchouli, and think about an answer to your question does not mean I'm a drug smuggler. She wanted to know what we were hauling. It was a Yurt. If we had just said "A Yurt" we still would have gotten yanked outta line for a search, because Yurt isn't something everyone is familiar with, and frankly sounds like something from a Dr. Seuss book, or just gibberish. We were not sure how to answer in a way that made sense, so we paused, looked at the wrapped up Yurt on the trailer, and *whammo* we got pulled.
She barely rifled through the glove compartment, and under the seats. I kept laughing, she never ever got into the back of the well packed truck (we were moving to AK) Not that she would have found anything, but seriously. She was lazy as hell about it.
Look, all they had to do was taste it. And even if it *had been* hash, it would have done the jerks some good to mellow the F out!
I've been harangued by Canadian border patrol because it took longer than .25 seconds to answer one of their questions. It was ridiculous. Just because I smell like patchouli, and think about an answer to your question does not mean I'm a drug smuggler. She wanted to know what we were hauling. It was a Yurt. If we had just said "A Yurt" we still would have gotten yanked outta line for a search, because Yurt isn't something everyone is familiar with, and frankly sounds like something from a Dr. Seuss book, or just gibberish. We were not sure how to answer in a way that made sense, so we paused, looked at the wrapped up Yurt on the trailer, and *whammo* we got pulled.
She barely rifled through the glove compartment, and under the seats. I kept laughing, she never ever got into the back of the well packed truck (we were moving to AK) Not that she would have found anything, but seriously. She was lazy as hell about it.
Can someone reply to this comment and tell me how they fare in their court case later on? I'd like to see how it turns out for them. I'll be checking up on this. Hope things don't turn ugly for them, since technically they didn't do anything illegal. Possibly negligent, but definitely not illegal.
Hey but isn't chocolate more addictive the marijuana, doesn't it kill more people via obesity related illness, I think these border officials were really on to something :)
@ babydad : huh??? sure, chocolate is bad because it causes obesity. so do chips, burgers, pizzas, nachos, cheese, butter, and just about every other food eaten in the wrong quantities. (except maybe veggies) so what, you voting to ban food??
and wow! how did border patrol get to arrersting the same people on the same false charges TWICE?? yes from different countries, but c,mon...
hopefully babydad doesn't get a job with the border patrol, or he'll be throwing kids into the slammer for smuggling chocolate.
"Look, all they had to do was taste it. "
Are you kidding???????????
You would taste what a perfect stranger declares to be chocolate while you are looking for illegal activities as a law enforcement officer? I hope you NEVER take on this (or a similar) job in a country I travel or live.
I gather you would also eat any white powder when you are told it is powdered sugar? Or pop any pill when you are told it is a vitamin pill?
Come on.
Yes, the USA and Canada are indeed two different countries. That means they may choose to look for themselves rather than trust the other country's law enforcement. And that is a good thing.
Sid, you may have noticed the smiley face in babydad's post.
Karsten
http://www.polluteless.com