Now
Fair
24°
High
32°
Low
24°
Full Forecast

Jobs

Cars

Homes

Rentals

Alerts

Subscribe
Home > News > Local
Bookmark Us   •   Make Us Your Homepage

Man arrested while selling pipes, bongs

Comments 21 comment(s)  
E-mail Story E-mail Story
Print Story Print Story
Share  Share
Text Size: 
Tools Sponsor

By ZACH PLUHACEK / Lincoln Journal Star

Saturday, Apr 14, 2007 - 08:54:39 pm CDT

A 44-year-old Michigan man was arrested at the State Fair Park Friday evening after undercover police found him selling alleged drug paraphernalia at a liquidation sale.

Police received a tip that Mir S. Ali was using a sales booth at the park’s Agriculture Hall to sell pipes and bongs for illicit drug use. Undercover officers approached the man’s table at about 6 p.m., posing as customers, Lincoln Police Capt. Mike Woolman said.

Woolman said Ali then explained to the officers that some of the pipes he was selling were for crack use, some for marijuana. He then allegedly simulated use of the products to the officers.

Story Photo

The officers arrested Ali on suspicion of selling drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor, after they seized 129 bongs and 229 pipes, “numerous” scales and rolling papers, other paraphernalia, and $615 in cash.

Selling drug paraphernalia is a misdemeanor offense in Michigan and Nebraska. Ali was jailed because he has no ties to Lincoln, but he posted bond Friday shortly after his arrest.

Employees working at the sale said Saturday that they had since seen Ali at his booth, though all the bongs and pipes had been removed from tables.

“They had more in boxes underneath (yesterday),” said Brittany White, a cashier at a booth around the corner.

According to White and other workers, one table was filled with bongs and marijuana bowls. Saturday, those items had been replaced with hats and clothing accessories.

The man working at the booth in question wouldn’t comment because he said his boss asked him not to.

Tanisha Miller, who worked at the same booth as White, said she saw at least one sign near Ali’s table that read “for tobacco use only.” The sign was there Saturday.

Police Capt. Genelle Moore said Ali had the sign Friday night. Posting “for tobacco use only” signs is required in Nebraska when selling smoking materials.

Ali allegedly mentioned drug use in connection with the items.

“Basically, where he got snagged was the conversation he had with the narcotics officer,” Moore said.

Reach Zach Pluhacek at 473-7395 or zpluhacek@journalstar.com.


$1 Sunday Delivery - Subscribe Today!
Local > Back to Top of Story

Post Your Comment

Standards and Rules
All posts to JournalStar.com are subject to our Terms and Standards.
Your posted comment will appear after it has been approved.
Frequently asked questions about story commenting.
(optional)
   
Hide Comments Hide Comments   Newest First Newest First  
Jen wrote on April 15, 2007 4:43 am:
" Sooo, as long as you hang a disclaimer sign saying "for tobacco use only" the sale is ok-but if police try to entrap you into...whoops, mentioning that bongs can be used to smoke dope, then it's off to the clink? I'm sorry, but if you really want to complain about a waste of tax dollars, leave the poor snowplough guy alone and start looking at all the games of "gotcha" the police are playing. What, were they getting bored with trying to entrap dirty old men whilst posing as teenage girls on line? Gee whiz-we've got home invasions and armed robberies all over the city, but hey, let's go see if we can bust this guy for talking about drugs. Sheesh. "

 mike wrote on April 15, 2007 7:26 am:
" why cant they just leave people alone.just another thing for them to control.pretty soon we will have no rights at all. "

 c'mon wrote on April 15, 2007 8:07 am:
" Lets get real, "For Tobacco only"...oh yeah nothing like a big ol' hit of marlboro light thru a 3 foot bong! Last time I seen anyone even "roll their own" using tobacco was an 85 yr old man at a parade 15 years ago. The only people who buy tobacco by the bag are senior citizens and transients. Smoking tobacco thru a water bong is a crock. No one does it now and rarely ever did. The only use for this kind of paraphernalia is for ellicit drug use only. Putting up this sign is not even a "smokescreen" pardon my pun. I have to laugh when i go into my local convenience store and they are selling the little roses in glass tubes with the rounded bowl, and if I have a minute, I always ask the clerk if they know they are selling crack pipes....needless to say I rarely get service with a smile after that question. "

 nitemare wrote on April 15, 2007 9:06 am:
" Awesome police work. NOT!!! How many dollars were wasted on this bust? There are soooooo many real criminals out there that need caught, but yet the PD has time to go around busting innocent people. Why not work the people that actually have the drugs? "

 Ej wrote on April 15, 2007 10:15 am:
" So what you are suggesting is that lpd should pick and choose what laws they uphold. Don't you people realize that the reason for most of these robberies is drug use! GOOD JOB LPD! "

 Officer wrote on April 15, 2007 11:44 am:
" Get real, this is our job!! To keep this off the streets and away from kids. Money Wasted? How do you figure? "

 Doug wrote on April 15, 2007 1:25 pm:
" Entrapment? Sounds like the guy trapped himself. Was he forced to say you can smoke drugs with these pipes? The genious even demonstrated how to do the drugs. Dollars wasted? They went to his table at 6 and arrested him, how much money do you suppose that cost? Innocent people? What are you talking about? I won't call him guilty until proven so but he may not be innocent after proven guilty either. If you had children you care about you wouldn't oppose all busts that may keep drugs from reaching your children. Also, who says they are not going after the people who actually have the drugs? Sounds like some people on here are afraid of getting caught themselves. "

 OH please wrote on April 15, 2007 3:22 pm:
" C'mon, anyone who posted a comment about "don't the police have better things to do?" think about this. What if this man had sold YOUR child/teenager a crack pipe-and then went to demonstrate to your kid on how to smoke crack with it? Then you'd be calling the police telling them they need to go out and take that man to jail. AGAIN, to JEN, what if it was YOUR teenage daughter that some dirty old man was trying to solicit online? You think that the cops are trapping people into these crimes? If someone gets caught, that means they had the potential to do it all along, and probably already has a pretty lengthy history of it. The more perverts and drug-user enablers the cops catch and apprehend, the better. Good job LPD! "

 Thin Blue Line wrote on April 15, 2007 4:25 pm:
" To Jen: The officers did not bust anyone for simply talking about drugs. They busted him for selling paraphernalia. He CHOSE to have the conversation with the undercover officer and make admissions that is was used for illegal drugs instead of tobacco. And, the reason we did anything at all with this person is because of a citizen complaint. Not all people are like you. Most people think selling bongs and pipes to anyone, including kids, IS a big deal! "

 Hello wrote on April 15, 2007 4:57 pm:
" The guy was kind of dumb for showing officers how to smoke dope. However, rolling your own cigarrettes is done by a lot of the homeless downtown. Also, useing this stuff to smoke tobacco is gaining in popularity as our culture diversifies and we get more middle-east people in Lincoln. It is not unlike smoking tobacco with a regular pipe. In fact, Lincoln has a Turkish store devoted to it at 48th and Leighton. So, it is not that rare. Most things can be used for good or bad. "

 Uh... wrote on April 15, 2007 5:02 pm:
" Let me see if I get this right. It's not o.k. to buy a pipe or bong because you might smoke something bad out of it, but it's still o.k. to buy a gun which you might shoot someone with. Whatever. "

 Heather wrote on April 15, 2007 6:46 pm:
" Only the people who use drugs support their sale and oppose the police for cracking down on this type of stuff. Why not just sign your name, "Drug User." "

 Doug wrote on April 15, 2007 8:29 pm:
" To Uh... ...or buy a car you might hit someone with, or buy cigarettes you might kill someone with secondhand smoke with, or sell kitchen knives to that you may cut someone with, or sell fast food because you might give someone a heart attack. Whatever is right. "

 CS wrote on April 15, 2007 8:33 pm:
" So, paraphernalia because he described that it could be used other ways? I know 5 different ways to smoke pot out of common household or organic items-id be willing to bet a lot of JH and HS students do too and I nor they have probably ever smoked pot. I have not, but know many that do and have including my recently deceased mother who had cancer. Shall we outlaw apples and coke cans and tobacco shop pipes because they can be used for an illegal purpose? "

 tkosmo wrote on April 16, 2007 12:12 am:
" I for one am very thankful the LPD are doing a great job trying to keep drugs,objects for using them and users off the street. Thank you LPD! Yes, there are other items that can be used to smoke pot, crack and whatever else you druggers are going to smoke but at least the police and citizens are not going to make it any easier for you do it. "

 Laura wrote on April 16, 2007 8:35 am:
" For those of you upset that the LPD nailed this guy, next time your 18 year old comes home with a bong or whatever, or you find one in his room and he says that it's for smoking tobacco, you gonna believe him? "

 Mike Honcho wrote on April 16, 2007 11:05 am:
" The cops don't make the laws, they enforce them. I believe that anybody stupid enough to not only admit that his products are intended for illicit drug use, but who then continues to demonstrate how they can be used for illicit drug use...DESERVES to be caught. How can anybody not just laugh at this fool for being so blatantly stupid. If you don't like the fact that some drugs are considered illegal in the U.S., there's an easy solution to the problem, move to a place where they are legal (good luck on that one). Otherwise, stop condemning the police for doing their jobs. "

 GMP wrote on April 16, 2007 1:38 pm:
" Thank you to the LPD for enforcing all of the laws, not just the popular ones. Good job. "

 Come on... wrote on April 16, 2007 1:41 pm:
" Entrapment? Give me a break! If this guy is dumb enough to talk about marijuana and how to smoke crack, even give a demonstration, then I think he deserves what he gets. What an idiot! Good job LPD! This is not an infringement on rights, it is NOT your RIGHT to sell crack pipes! "

 Reality wrote on April 16, 2007 4:05 pm:
" While you all read this and responded, 23 women and children were abused, and 3 women were killed at the hand of a spouse. But really let's focuse on LPD and pipes! "

 Nina wrote on April 16, 2007 5:22 pm:
" Laura has a point, but you never know...when I was younger I found this delightful Oriental-looking conversation piece at a flea market, and bought it to display as part of my home decor, which I gussied up for a ladies meeting I hosted. Yep, one of my Bible study group friends doubled over laughing, and told me it was a bong! "

Ads by Yahoo!