In an attempt to prevent the small town of Thurmont, Maryland from succumbing to the evils of the cannabis plant, a rookie police officer recently went undercover at a local Burger King – posing as an employee. However, according to a report in the Frederick News-Post, the two month long death-defying operation only netted the police department a haul of 5 grams of marijuana – far less than the weight of the average hamburger patty.
Unfortunately, now the two Burger King employees (23-year-old Tommy Lee Miller and 28-year-old Jonathan Brook Moser) arrested in the bust could face prison time.
Although Maryland law maintains that possession of less than 10 grams of pot is a civil infraction, with a penalty of a $100 fine, both men were charged with distribution – a felony offense that carries a sentence of up to 5 years in prison with fines reaching $15,000.
So this clandestine mission into the sour underbelly of the illegal marijuana trade, while taking in what is likely the puniest haul in police history, could end up ruining the lives of two young men.
Nevertheless, Officer Nichole Fair, the officer who made the bust, seems pretty proud of herself.
“I was hired to help and protect the community of Thurmont, and that was what I was doing,” Fair said. “You hear about all the drug problems we’re having here and elsewhere and, whether it’s marijuana or something else, we’re really feeling the effects of it. To be able to do something to directly address that, especially being a new officer, was extremely rewarding.”
The people of Thurmont have come out to express their disdain for this pathetic excuse for an undercover sting operation, posting their opinions in the comment section of the Frederick News-Post. The news has also garnered more than 3,000 comments on Reddit.
Overall, people are upset that police are being allowed to waste valuable tax dollars to bust people for a plant that has been made legal in over half the United States.
“This is a disgrace, and the police department should be embarrassed,” one commenter wrote. “Stories like this are precisely why people hate cops. Congrats on ruining two kids' lives for a tiny amount of a drug that is completely harmless, and actually legal and helping support the economy in some states. Solid police work right here people.”
But despite the strong opinions of the townspeople, Thurmont Police Chief says these types of undercover stings will continue.
“It’s a first here in town, and we’re not going to stop,” Eyler said. “If we get information, we’ll put people in covert operations and these dealers won’t know who they’re selling to. That’s something that’s not going to stop until we move these dealers out of town.”
