In a pre-dawn raid, agents of the DEA assaulted and laid siege upon the property of Genesis 1:29 Corporation, seizing 5000+ marijuana plants, or approximately 5000 pounds of marijuana ready for harvest with an approximate street value $27 million.
I was awakened by the feel of an AR-15 barrel pressing against my cheek below my right eye. A man dressed like a ninja in his black face-mask was staring into my eyes with a cold steel glare of death, without remorse. I instinctively grabbed the tip of the rifle barrel and pulled it over my shoulder with my right hand, re-directing the muzzle past me. My left hand stopped the bolt on the top of the rifle, forcing it back as he pulled the trigger. The shell ejected and the bullet slid out of the gun and my thumb ejected the magazine. The rifle was now useless and I had the terrorist in a controllable state as the sling of the rifle was around his neck. My close proximity to him prevented his accomplice (Patrick Kelly) from shooting me, as by his own statement, “I could not get a clear shot at Schmidt without shooting James Li.”
After a timely struggle, I was overwhelmed by more individuals and thrown to the ground, being stomped and struck with rifle butts. It was at this time that I was informed that they were DEA agents, under the command of Dan Tuey, who I had previously been involved with in numerous confrontations in Mendocino and Humboldt County.
Some background is in order here. Our latest confrontation with Tuey was at DEA offices in San Francisco, when he was intimidating me and two other company officers to withdraw our DEA 225 forms and registration to cultivate, process, and distribute Schedule I Cannabis under the exemption provided by 21 USC 823 (a) : “The Attorney General shall register an applicant to manufacture controlled substances in schedule I or II if he determines that such registration is consistent with the public interest and with United States obligations under international treaties, conventions, or protocols in effect on May 1, 1971.”
The Department of Justice had issued me control numbers and I was in constant monthly correspondence with Laura Nagel and Gloria Randall, who were the administration’s law judges assigned to monitor Genesis.
On September 12th, the agents did not have a warrant to produce or serve, and it was not until January that this was understood by the DOJ in Washington. They did not even know of the seizure and arrest, and were in fact, annoyed at this information, as there was never a warrant issued by them.
“Meanwhile, back at the ranch…”
I was handcuffed behind my back (with a dislocated shoulder from the scuffle) and dragged by my feet, face-down out of the bedroom through the living room out the front door across the porch and down the stairs. My forehead struck every step. It now needed stitches. With blood in my eyes, I surveyed the situation and soon realized that all my ranch-hands, my son and his friends from college, and the rest of my crew, were all in handcuffs. It was at this time that I initiated the plan of instructions that I previously schooled my colleagues here in the event of a scenario such as we were experiencing.
In front of all the spectators, the sheriffs and of course the DEA, I took complete responsibility for all the activities occurring on that property at that time. This resulted in the release of more than a dozen people.
You see, the issue here is that it is cheaper for one person to get through the legal process than many.
If only one person faces the charges, then the crew cannot be manipulated. This eliminates people inadvertently saying things that can be re-construed by investigation and used as weapons against justice. The less they know, the less they can create.
Drug enforcement agents and investigators for the prosecutor’s office are not selected for their intelligence. In fact, the truth is just the opposite. Most of the candidates are applying for these federal positions because they were not competent enough to compete in the common civilian job market. Most of the field agents are “want to be” military soldiers that were rejected or did not qualify for a military career. The fact is that most of my veteran friends laugh at them donning paramilitary outfits with weapons of war to engage in conflict with unarmed civilians. Most field operatives of the DEA do not show enough intelligence to understand that they are the laughing-stock of society and other government agencies such as the Secret Service, FBI and the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms). Agents such as Dan Tuey, Patrick Kelly, and James Li have become “legends in their own minds” and have gotten away with armed robbery of the cash from dispensaries (that never shows up on evidence sheets), the violation of basic human rights and considerations, and the blatant lies written in criminal reports and supported by prosecutors; they have become careless and publicly declare that they are above the law, including judges and prosecuting attorneys. All the while, their handlers (supervisors) feel the power of the rabid dogs that they have unleashed on infirmed American citizens are not considering that these vicious animals may turn on them when it is time to rein them in.
Our best defense is to never say or agree to any information that is not directly involving us, and in the event that we are confronted with an allegation, it is our duty to accept the full responsibility and burden upon ourselves as individuals. This is the tactic used by American POWs, which angered their interrogators without limit. They have nothing to work with unless we intentionally or accidentally divulge some form of information that implicates another person, thus perpetuating a domino effect.
When the DEA arrives, it’s identical to the Gestapo. You are caught, regardless of law and circumstances. There are no deals, there are no “do-overs,” or re-plays. Our best defense is an offense, by way of damage control. It is obvious that California law is not part of the federal agenda, and we need to structure our thinking in the terms and conditions we are faced with.
We minimize the damage by way of the body count (those arrested), intelligence they can gather (documents, ledgers, patients lists, etc.) and cooperation amongst each other. Taking responsibility at the scene automatically qualifies you for a downward departure at sentencing. It also eliminates “kingpin status” if you are the only one charged. It leaves no room for negotiation, temptation, or coercion. Also, it leaves your people free, outside to help you with bond, family, legal fees, and financial support while incarcerated. Remember this: once you cooperate with the government, they will own you for the rest of your life. Can you understand the power of blackmail? You will never, ever have peace of mind again, knowing that others may suffer as you are, because of a moment of physical, emotional, or psychological weakness. No matter what you do, you will not walk away from this, as there are other agencies that can bring charges and you can never satisfy all of the wolves.
What is a hero? He is the one who took the bullet for many others out of love, compassion, and not willing to tolerate injustice any longer. To individually take the responsibility, the strides, the consequences, so that others may live or be free. The price for this is enormous in the form of loss of freedom, pain , isolation, and occasionally blood. Our parks are filled with statues of heroes, which of course become perches for pigeons and are usually covered with bird droppings. A place for people to meet, a landmark, but how few are those who read, or even more so, understand, what that memorial represents.
We are paying a demanding price to exercise our rights guaranteed by the 10th Amendment and California law. If you consider yourself a soldier in this struggle for humanitarian privilege and basic human rights, then stand erect as a role model for those who follow, in that, by our example, we all become stronger. I ask: how will you be remembered?
A prisoner of war, Robert Schmidt, in exile at Leavenworth.
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