Up In Their Grills
Feds fail in bid to seize dental ornaments from accused drug dealers

APRIL 10--Federal prosecutors last week tried to reach into the mouths of two accused drug dealers and remove ornamental "grills" affixed to the men's teeth. Arguing that the gaudy "cosmetic dental appliances" were evidence of ill-gotten gains, investigators convinced a Tacoma judge to sign a warrant authorizing their seizure. In a March 29 affidavit supporting the seizure, a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent stated that grills were "symbols which drug traffickers purchase to portray their status in the criminal community." The affidavit, a copy of which you can find below, apparently convinced Magistrate J. Kelley Arnold to order the grills (which can reportedly cost up to $25,000) removed from the mouths of inmates Flenard Neal, Jr. and Donald Lewis. But when lawyers for the men protested the seizure of the grills--which are permanently bonded to the teeth of Neal and Lewis--Arnold issued an April 4 stay of his order, because removal "would unduly compromise their dental health." Since the prosecution's seizure demand was filed under seal, defense attorneys only learned of the government action when Neal and Lewis called to report they were about to be transported to a Seattle dentist for the extraction procedure. (8 pages)



www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0410062teeth1.html

They'll never get da grillz from me yo.

LOL!!!

there have been worse abuses of seizure laws.

As long as they're bustin'em out with crow bars, I'm good with it.

Quoted: stickland0.tripod.com/images/s017.gif

Can't hotlink from tripod.

daddie wher joo get dem grills

Quoted: Quoted: stickland0.tripod.com/images/s017.gif Can't hotlink from tripod.

can't see the image?  Edit- i think i fixed it, lemme know

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: stickland0.tripod.com/images/s017.gif Can't hotlink from tripod. can't see the image?

Copy and paste the address.

Oh, yes. Really clever.

did da grillz hav da beamz yo?

What about da beamz?

I thought the arresting officers were supposed to beat them out with a blackjack at the time of arrest and put them in the property room. Ya learn something every day.

Quoted: You know, If they did get them, I think I'd go to the auction and bid, just because I think its hillarious.  I got your grill, Yo!

The prosecutor should have them mounted on a plaque and give them to the lead investigator as a trophy after each conviction - like boar tusks.

No wonder judges need armed escorts these days and keep their identity secret.

Yo, peeps... you be big time pimping wif dees teef...

Quoted: Yo, peeps... you be big time pimping wif dees teef... home.comcast.net/~bfd750/teef2.JPG home.comcast.net/~bfd750/teef3.JPG home.comcast.net/~bfd750/teef4.JPG

How the hell do they propose you eat a t-bone with those stupid things?

How the hell are you supposed to polish em.

Quoted: How the hell are you supposed to polish em.

With grill cleaner of course.

I've got the same question.
It seems that they would be really uncomfortable too.   I hated wearing my braces on my teeth in my teens.

YO!, You know dis be a dupe.

sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeit

Much though I agree with these arseholes losing their profits from drugs, etc. Didn't the prosecutor have better things to do than waste public money trying to do stupid things like that?

As the previous posters have said, a 20 dollar crowbar would have done the job nicely  

When I saw the title, I thought they were talking about barbecue grills.  

Quoted: When I saw the title, I thought they were talking about barbecue grills.

Same here

The lawyers were able to keep the "grillz" in the inmates mouth because removing them would damage the integrity of the inmates teeth.

I hate to break it to them, but they have already comprimised the teeth by putting that crap in there.

Regardless of who they are or what they did, is it really worth the time of a judge and the money we pay him to deal with bullshit like this?

Quoted: When I saw the title, I thought they were talking about barbecue grills.

From my cold dead hands...

It's not an abuse of the ATF. They are seizing assets obtained through criminal activity. Any other agency would have done the same.

If the suspects are prosecuted and spend time in jail, once they get out, they can sell their grills and go back into business.

I'd remove their livers, kidneys, corneas too.  And their testicles.