They go together quite well.
"Marijuana seized from apartment; Arlington police say unit devoted to growing plants" September 03, 2011|By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff
ARLINGTON- It wasn’t so much the amount of marijuana seized from the tenant’s apartment that amazed police.
“What was so out of the ordinary in this instance is that the residence was rented and used for the sole purpose of growing marijuana,’’ Arlington Police Chief Frederick Ryan said by phone yesterday. “It doesn’t appear the apartment was inhabited.’’
Jonathan Pore, a 23-year-old college student, set up a high-tech plant nursery inside the Cleveland Street address, authorities said. The apartment was lined with plastic and contained heat lamps, lights, and air-conditioning equipment apparently used to create the perfect climate to grow the illegal plant.
Based on a tip several months ago, police started watching the apartment, Ryan said. Pore was arrested Thursday night and yesterday was charged in Cambridge District Court, located in Medford, with possession with intent to distribute and a drug violation near a school....
Pore was arrested four days after Nikita Yanakopulos, 34, a Medford pizzeria owner, was charged with marijuana trafficking. Police caught him in Everett, transporting 250 pounds of marijuana, with a street value of about $750,000, in the back of his truck, authorities said.
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"Pizza boxes held marijuana, police say" September 01, 2011|By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff
MEDFORD - Pinky’s Famous Pizza bills its custom-made pies as “gourmet taste delivered,’’ a mouth-watering blend of handmade dough, garden-fresh sauce made from vine-ripe tomatoes, and “the finest Italian cheeses that money can buy.’’
According to authorities, that is not all that Pinky’s owner was buying. And it was not just the ingredients that were top-notch.
The pizza shop owner, Nikita Yanakopulos, faces a drug trafficking charge after police said they found more than $750,000 worth of high-grade marijuana in his pickup truck last week, prosecutors said yesterday.
Through a tip from a confidential informant, investigators said they learned that Yanakopulos was slated to receive a large shipment of marijuana last Friday in Everett, and began surveillance on him. That morning, they saw Yanakopulos in a parking lot loading cardboard boxes into the back of his truck before driving off, according to court records.
The cops really have nothing better to do? No real crimes to solve?
No unsolved rapes, robberies, or murders?
Officers followed him to a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-through on Revere Beach Parkway, where they arrested him. Police, who had obtained a warrant based on the allegation that the boxes contained marijuana, said they found 11 cardboard boxes filled with more than 200 heat-sealed bags of the drug.
“These are troubling allegations into the suspected trafficking of over three-quarters of a million dollars of marijuana by a local business owner,’’ Gerard T. Leone Jr., the Middlesex district attorney, said in a statement.
Police said they also seized his truck, three cellphones, and $2,366 in cash in the arrest. During the booking process, the suspect indicated he did not want to speak with officers.
Yanakopulos was released on $15,000 bail posted by his wife, but was not at the pizzeria yesterday afternoon and could not be reached for comment. His lawyer, James Dilday, did not return calls for comment.
A spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office said the pizza shop and the alleged drug activity were apparently separate, despite the stereotypes.
“At this time there does not appear to be a connection,’’ Cara O’Brien said.
Yanakopulos, who has pleaded not guilty to the charge, is due back in court Sept. 29.
Earlier this year, police shut down a Toronto pizza shop and charged the owner with selling drugs after finding $1 million worth of marijuana inside, according to published reports.
The district attorney’s office would not say whether Yanakopulos had a criminal history, but noted that he had a court case dismissed last June. They said there are no allegations that he is part of a larger drug ring, but the investigation is ongoing.
Obviously he isn't working for a government-operated drug ring, unless they double-crossed him.
State Police assigned to three prosecutors’ offices and federal agents with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted the investigation. Leone praised the collaborative effort for the drug bust and “preventing it from finding its way to young people.’’
The seized drugs, which weighed 250 pounds, were stronger and more expensive than typical marijuana, the district attorney’s office said.
At the pizzeria yesterday, two workers said they had never seen any evidence of illegal activity, and neighbors agreed. Regulars of the Main Street shop, between Medford Square and Tufts University, said the only thing that stood out about the restaurant was its food.
“Good buffalo wings,’’ said Bruce Forbes, a 70-year-old visiting his daughter and granddaughter from New York City. “Very good.’’
Notified of the charges, Forbes was taken aback, but said he would probably still order the wings now and again if the place stays open. It had better, many said.
“The owner of Pinky’s?’’ one woman asked in disbelief. “For real? That’s terrible. They have some cool food up in there.’’
Joe Walker, a 27-year-old who orders pizza from Pinky’s about once a month, expressed amazement at the amount of marijuana reportedly seized.
“That,’’ Walker said, “is a lot of pot.’’
Like his neighbors, Walker said the food at Pinky’s was quite good. Still, in light of the charges, he said he would probably take his take-out business elsewhere.
“There are plenty of other pizza shops in Medford,’’ he said.
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Time for an after dinner smoke.
