Police say ‘Shrubs for sale’ were marijuana and hashish

…the prosecutor’s office makes a lot of arrests in which eBay has been used to perpetrate crimes and that using Craigslist for these purposes is becoming more popular

By: Katie Wagner
   The Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office and the Montgomery Township Police Department’s investigation of a Craigslist advertisement resulted in the recent arrest of a Springfield Township resident for third degree distribution of marijuana and hashish.
   John P. Scott, 27, of Jacksonville Road was charged with three counts of third degree distribution of marijuana and one count of third degree distribution of hashish on Wednesday. Mr. Scott’s arrest resulted from a two-month narcotics investigation by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Organized Crime and Narcotics Task Force and the Montgomery Township Police Department.
   The investigation began when a Montgomery Township police detective discovered Mr. Scott was offering marijuana for sale on the classified service Web site Craigslist.
   "The Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office has been doing this type of law enforcement for about 8 years," said Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne J. Forrest. "We search Web sites like eBay and Facebook for any type of indication that something illegal is occurring.
   He added, the prosecutor’s office makes a lot of arrests in which eBay has been used to perpetrate crimes and that using Craigslist for these purposes is becoming more popular.
   Mr. Scott’s Craiglist advertisement read as follows:
   
Hello,

   I have 420 shrubs for sale. They are from Arizona and have
a very nice pungent smell and citrus like flower to them. Available by the quarter
acre plot for 60, half acre plot for 100 and whole acre plot for 180. Also would
consider BARTERING for finer shrubs. No phone. Please email.

   Thank you

   Juan

   Four twenty, four twenty

   Location: near Trenton, NJ
   
After recognizing the term "420" as a reference to marijuana, the Montgomery police detective contacted the prosecutor’s office. Next, detectives from the Montgomery police department and prosecutor’s office contacted Mr. Scott via Craigslist and an undercover detective met Mr. Scott three times, purchasing increased amounts of drugs each time. Following the third sale, Mr. Scott was arrested and a search warrant was executed on his vehicle and residence.
   The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, the New Jersey State Police K-9 Unit and the Springfield Township Police Department assisted in the arrest.