Law enforcement officials unload pontoon boat stuffed with marijuana in Ann Arbor
An Ann Arbor resident took this photo in a parking lot on South State Street in Ann Arbor around 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Photo courtesy of Andy Reid
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional information from state police.
Law enforcement officers seized a large quantity of marijuana from a pontoon boat in Ann Arbor Tuesday, a state police sergeant confirmed Thursday morning.
Sgt. Kim Pegouske of the Metro South post of the Michigan State Police in Taylor said she did not know how much was seized or why the boat, which witnesses said was hooked to a black pickup truck on South State Street, was stopped.
Ann Arbor area residents reported seeing law enforcement officers unload a pontoon the boat stuffed with packages Tuesday in the 2100 block of South State Street.
Two witnesses told AnnArbor.com they saw officers from law enforcement agencies unloading green and brown packages from a pontoon boat at around 5 p.m. Tuesday. The pontoon was hooked to a parked black pickup truck, witnesses said. They said they saw Michigan State Police vehicles and one Ann Arbor Police Department vehicle in the lot as well as uniformed officers.
Ann Arbor resident Andy Reid, who works at Wolverine magazine, said he stepped outside just after 5 p.m., and watched as law enforcement officials took packages out of the boat.
“There were officers in uniform and people in street clothes with blue gloves on, taking the packages out,” he said. “The whole thing was pretty odd. For 10 minutes I was watching them.”
Pegouske said officers working out of the state police post in Northville handled the case. They could not immediately be reached for comment.
John Seto, deputy chief of the Ann Arbor Police Department, had no information on the case, he said Wednesday. A call log shows the Ann Arbor Police Department received a call at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday from the Michigan State Police to assist in an investigation, Seto said. He said he did not have further details.
“There’s no report,” he said “We assisted the state police in an investigation.”
Durell Hope, a Drug Enforcement Agency officer in Detroit, confirmed the DEA was in Ann Arbor on Tuesday and said the federal agency is involved in an ongoing investigation here. But he would not elaborate.
Juliana Keeping covers general assignment and health and the environment for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528. Follow Juliana Keeping on Twitter.
Comments
joe baublis
Sat, Apr 9, 2011 : 12:35 a.m.
I agree with (most) Cash - and I say: "whatever floats your boat". Smoking or selling pot does not harm anyone any more - or any less - than drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes. It is essentially a political crime that has been created by the Tobacco and Alcohol lobby, with support from the Pharmaceutical lobby. The costs for prosecution and incarceration of the so-called "criminals" is a staggering figure. By the way, this is another issue upon which the progressive agenda may find common ground with the tea party. We can come together on this one. Let's be friends. Let's talk freedom and peace, and harmony with nature. But why should we allow the STATE to tax a free act in eco-biological harmony with mother nature? I say: "free the people". Let them go free. Our constitution is based on providing freedom - not governmental control. Respectfully submitted by Joe Baublis <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqdVujKa1I8" rel='nofollow'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqdVujKa1I8</a>
Greggy_D
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 7:27 p.m.
"Make it Legal, NO WAY!" Why do you feel this way?
RJA
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 7:15 p.m.
Not Christmas gifts as I thought. Congrats to all law enforcement involved. (great stop and catch) Doesn't matter to me where it came from or where it was going. Seems as there is a lot more investigating needed. Make it Legal, NO WAY!
Bertha Venation
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 5:14 p.m.
DAWG!!! I TOLD them not to go through town!!!
Joseph Lewis
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 5:12 p.m.
Vehicle was stopped around 4:20PM
pragmatic
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 4:36 p.m.
Way to go law enforcent. Thanks for making this world safer from all those dangerous and violent pot smokers out there. Now that you have done your duty, you can all go home and relax with your beer and scotch. Time to end the insane and costly PROHIBITION on marijuana.
nowayjose
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 6:52 p.m.
Not saying Im for or against legalized marijuana, but the police enforce the laws given to them by our elected officials. Its easy to blame the police, but they are only doing their jobs they were sworn to do.
Cash
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 5:18 p.m.
pragmatic, Well said. Absurd waste of our resources.
Major
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 3:22 p.m.
I totaly agree with "Cash" , except for the glaring obvious fact that someone has intentionally broken the law. In this state, they could have used the "legal" option. As a civilized society, we cannot alow people to break the law, and by the looks of the "goods" they stepped WAY outside the law! Legalize and tax this, the most harmless of medication, and be done with it already!!!
bob
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 6:53 p.m.
oops - I meant should NOT get down on the police :(
bob
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 6:52 p.m.
I agree with Major. A law has been broken. People should get down on the police for doing their job - enforcing the laws that are on the book. If you don't like the law work on getting it changed. Isn't that how a democracy works?
Ignatz
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 3:38 p.m.
There seems to be a pattern in this country that stupid laws don't get changed until they are broken over and over again. It's the only way that citizens can see their government has been deceiving them for their own gain.
AA
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 1:48 p.m.
Legalaize Marijuana.
gladys
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 1:24 p.m.
That's just party favors for Kwame's parole party.
Cossur
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 1:44 p.m.
OH YEAH!!!
xmo
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 12:15 p.m.
I wonder what the cops found: Drugs, weapons, bombs? I guess we better be on the look out for pontoon boats.
Wolf's Bane
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 12:04 p.m.
I say we torch it all on top of the finished library underground parking structure. The contact high would be hilarious.
breadman
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 11:11 a.m.
Too late for hash bash!!!!!!
Cash
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 10:41 a.m.
Think how we could turn this around. Instead of paying our tax dollars for the DEA, the Michigan State Police, and Ann Arbor Police Department to spend the day on this ....project, which will be costly as well in terms of prosecutors, court staff, legal staff, judges etc.... and then imprisoning anyone found guilty........ The state could be controlling and taxing marijuana the same way we do drug alcohol....and creating tax revenue! We are our own worst enemy sometimes.
Cash
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 9:35 a.m.
WDIV played the video from last night, at 4:30 this morning. DEA had asked them to hold it until then. 2 people are suspects. The marijuana packages were inside of the pontoons themselves. The said the covers on the end of the pontoons weren't attached properly and that tipped them off. Details were still a bit sketchy.
Cossur
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 1:43 p.m.
There was a pretty full story on the 11 pm TV news on Wednesday night. Old news guys.
Wolf's Bane
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 12:03 p.m.
Wow, we really are our own worst enemy.
bone roller
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 6:18 a.m.
i see 32 packs how many will make it to court..ruffley i'm not saying that the cops are crooked but someone is and you can figger it out..humm i wonder who?
Marshall Applewhite
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 4:27 p.m.
I give up. Who?
Dog Guy
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 4:11 a.m.
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Ann Arbor deliveries?
RDanzer
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 2:28 a.m.
Smuggling drugs across Zukey lake?
keith_urbanFan93
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 2:07 a.m.
<a href="http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/27459466/detail.html" rel='nofollow'>http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/27459466/detail.html</a> according to this, its marijuana.
rouzer
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 1:21 a.m.
A tailgate party? Biggg party!
Tex Treeder
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 12:31 a.m.
I'll be waiting for a follow-up story.
Jim
Thu, Apr 7, 2011 : 12:27 a.m.
It is only neatly packaged fish bait. Why else would it be on a pontoon boat.
RJA
Wed, Apr 6, 2011 : 11:23 p.m.
Wow! Now if the (neat) packages were green and red, I would think of it as gifts for someone celebrating Christmas in July! Very nice Pontoon Boat. Great picture Mr. Reid.
Ricebrnr
Wed, Apr 6, 2011 : 10:54 p.m.
Hmm drove past that and wondered what hat was about. Still wondering after reading the story.
John of Saline
Wed, Apr 6, 2011 : 10:49 p.m.
That's a lot of...well, something. In neat packages.