By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
A judge admonished questionable tactics by the DEA to shut down a dozen pipe shops in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
In a lawsuit filed in federal court, the owners of Ziggyz pipe shops said the DEA threatened his landlords in an attempt to force the stores to close, the Tulsa World reports.
The judge did not like that tactic.
“The government may not attack what it views as illegal activity by simply putting someone out of business, through ‘leaning’ on their landlords or customers or other backdoor means,” U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton wrote in an order dated Aug. 18.
Under the judge’s order, federal agents are prohibited from contacting Ziggyz landlords or seeking forfeiture proceedings.
