American Notes Justice

Rique and Natasha Kuru had no idea when they purchased their 208-acre ranch in Northern California's Mendocino County last year that they were picking a choice parcel for the Federal Government. But the Drug Enforcement Administration agents who caught them tending an estimated $52,000 worth of homegrown marijuana last October were armed with more than a search warrant. Under the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984, which authorizes lawmen to confiscate property used to commit crime, the Kurus faced not only prison but loss of their land.

Last week the couple signed over the $115,000 ranch in an unusual deal that may presage further land confiscations. In exchange for the ranch, the U.S. Government will drop charges against the Kurus. Federal agents think such seizures could crimp California's estimated $2 billion annual pot crop. Said Bill Ruzzamenti, state coordinator of marijuana control for the Drug Enforcement Administration: "This year things will be different in the marijuana-eradication business."