Timeline of FDA raids on raw milk farmers, dietary supplement makers and natural medicine practitioners

The US Food and Drug Administration has a long history of conducting armed, SWAT-style raids on farmers, cancer treatment pioneers and dietary supplement manufacturers. This list, compiled by the editors of NaturalNews, reveals only some of the hundreds of armed FDA raids that have been conducted in the last twenty-five years.

What you see from this is a pattern of government-sponsored terrorism against innocent Americans and small business people; all done in the name of “protecting” the public from milk, walnuts, vitamins, plants or fruit extracts. The real reason behind all this, of course, is that the FDA has long waged a campaign of fear and intimidation against natural product providers for the sole purpose of destroying the natural products industry and thereby handing Big Pharma a monopoly over health treatment medicines.

If you’re skeptical of that conclusion, read the timeline and see for yourself. And if you’re currently a farmer who might be targeted in a future FDA raid, be sure to read this helpful resource created by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund entitled How to Survive a Farm Raid:
http://www.ftcldf.org/farm-raids.html

Timeline of FDA raids against farmers, health clinics and dietary supplement providers

– 1985, July 7. FDA agents raid the Burzynski Research Clinic (Texas), steal 200,000 medical and research documents, and force Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski to pay for copies to be made of them. No official charges are ever filed by the FDA (http://www.myopia.org/fdaraids.htm).

– 1987, February 26. Twenty-five armed FDA agents and US Marshals storm offices of the Life Extension Foundation (Florida), terrorize employees and seize thousands of nutritional products, materials, computers, files, and newsletters. Eighty percent of seized items are later determined not to even have been on the warrant (http://www.naturalnews.com/021791.html).

– 1988, November. FDA agents raid Traco Labs (Illinois), seize several drums of black currant oil as well as many containers of encapsulated product. The FDA claims the capsules the oil was being put into are an “unapproved food additive” (http://www.drpasswater.com/nutritio…).

– 1998, Summer. FDA agents seize entire inventory and business records of Pets Smell Free (Utah), a company that produces a natural product for eliminating pet odor. The company later wins a lawsuit against the FDA in court (http://www.myopia.org/fdaraids.htm).

– 1990, October 6. Federal agents raid HA Lyons (Arizona), a women-run, home-based mailing service that publishes materials for vitamin companies. Armed agents seize all business records and literature, and even try to steal the owner’s checkbook and cash. The FDA eventually drives the company out of business (http://www.myopia.org/fdaraids.htm).

– 1990, Fall. FDA agents raid Highland Laboratories (Oregon), a company that produces vitamins and nutritional supplements. The agents do not present a warrant, but proceed to seize everything except for office furniture, and threaten employees with violence if they fail to comply (http://www.myopia.org/fdaraids.htm).

– 1990, March. FDA agents raid Solid Gold Pet Foods (California), seize all pet food products without a warrant, and shut down the store. Owner Sissy Harrington-McGill is later indicted, and spends 179 days in prison with leg irons clasped to her legs (http://www.naturalnews.com/021791.html).

– 1990. Agents from both the FDA and US Postal Service twice raid Century Clinic (Nevada), and steal chelation products, computers, and various other equipment. No official charges are ever filed against the clinic, however both illegal raids go unpunished (http://www.naturalnews.com/021791.html).

– 1991, Fall. FDA agents raid Scientific Botanicals (Washington), a nutritional supplement company, and seize herbal extracts and literature. FDA strong-arms company into complying with its unlawful demands before agreeing to release seized products (http://www.myopia.org/fdaraids.htm).

– 1991, December 12. RDA agents raid Thorne Research (Idaho), and seize $20,000 worth of vitamin products, and 11,000 pieces of literature. The company cannot afford to fight the battle in court because of high legal costs, and decides to no longer publish literature (http://www.myopia.org/fdaraids.htm).

– 1991. FDA agents raid NutriCology (California), a nutritional supplement company. All FDA injunctions against it are later tossed out of court (http://www.naturalnews.com/021791.html).

– 1991. Agents from the FDA and the Texas Department of Health again raid the Burzynski Research Clinic (Texas), and seize more products and materials. Dr. Burzynski eventually wins the fight against the FDA (http://www.naturalnews.com/032998_B…).

– 1991, March. Armed Mexican police officers raid offices of alternative cancer clinic in Tijuana, and kidnap the owner without warrant or charges. They then ship him across the US border and into the hands of the US Justice Department, where he unlawfully spends two years in prison (http://www.naturalnews.com/021791.html).

– 1992, May 6. Agents from the FDA and officers from the King County Police Department raid the Tahoma Clinic (Washington), a natural health clinic. Because Dr. Jonathan Wright has been giving patients injectable B vitamins in high doses, agents decide to storm the clinic with guns drawn, and seize product, computers, records, and other products. The FDA shows no valid warrant to justify its actions (http://www.naturalnews.com/021791.html).

– 1992, June 2. FDA agents raid the personal home of Mihai Popescu (California) for producing and selling a natural supplement called GH-3. The raid involves agents stealing $5,000 worth of GH-3, personal records, computers, and other equipment, and results in the false arrest and imprisonment of Popescu, as well as the termination of his business (http://www.myopia.org/fdaraids.htm).

– 1992, June 30. FDA agents raid Nature’s Way (Utah), a vitamin and nutritional supplement company, and seize bulk containers of primrose oil because the addition of vitamin E to the formula was allegedly “unapproved” (http://www.naturalnews.com/021791.html).

– 1992, June. The FDA prompts the Texas Department of Health to conduct raids on numerous health food stores throughout Texas. They seize natural oils, aloe vera, zinc, vitamin C, and other natural products. Agents reportedly threaten store owners not to speak of the raid, or more raids will ensue. No valid warrants are presented, and no charges are ever filed against the stores (http://www.naturalnews.com/021791.html).

– 1992, August 14. FDA agents raid Family Acupuncture Clinic (California), and seize $15,000 worth of natural tea pills. The products are left to spoil, and then sent back to China by the FDA (http://www.myopia.org/fdaraids.htm).

– 1992. Federal agents arrest three vitamin company owners (California) for selling supplements freely available throughout Europe. Agents try to get the men imprisoned for a collective total of 990 years (http://www.naturalnews.com/021791.html).

– 1993, May. Agents from the FDA raid Zerbo’s Health Food Store (Michigan) for “illegal drug trafficking” involving the natural supplements coenzyme Q10, selenium, carnitine, and GH-3. Agents threaten the owner’s 78-year-old father with imprisonment if the family attempts to fight the FDA’s indictment (http://www.myopia.org/fdaraids.htm).

– 1993, May 12. Dozens of armed federal agents storm Hospital Santa Monica (California), an alternative cancer treatment center, seizing records, charts, computers, and other equipment. The agents also steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the hospital’s bank account, as well as from two vitamin companies with which it works, and even steal $80,000 from the hospital owner’s personal safe (http://www.myopia.org/fdaraids.htm).

– 1993, May 12. Agents raid personal home of Kirwin Whitnah, claim he is selling “unapproved drugs.” No products are ever found, but agents proceed to terrorize a woman staying at the home, and seize thousands of dollars in equipment, literature, and even money orders (http://www.myopia.org/fdaraids.htm).

– 1993, May 14. FDA agents raid Waco Natural Foods (Texas) in search of a natural supplement called deprenyl citrate. Owner Tom Wiggins tells agents that his attorney holds tremendous clout in the Waco area, and the agents immediately apologize, leave, and never return (http://www.myopia.org/fdaraids.htm).

– 1993, June 24. FDA agents, a Federal Marshal, and a public relations specialist together raid International Nutrition Inc. (New Mexico), and seize $1 million worth of vitamins and nutritional supplements, as well as computers and business records. The owner ends up losing 80 percent of his business, and subsequently has to lay off 80 percent of his workforce (http://www.myopia.org/fdaraids.htm).

– 1993. Federal marshals raid Natural Vision International (Wisconsin), and steal 17,000 pairs of pinhole glasses that help customers exercise their eyes and improve vision. Valued at over $200,000, the confiscating of these products by the agents results in the company going out of business (http://www.myopia.org/fdaraids.htm).

– 2001, March 23. Forty armed federal agents and USDA officials storm Three Shepherd’s Farm (Vermont), and confiscate and destroy the farm’s entire flock of sheep for supposedly having mad cow disease. Government laboratories verify previously that the sheep are healthy, and that sheep cannot even contract the disease, but the USDA persists in eliminating them anyway, destroying evidence and breaking various other laws along the way (http://www.threeshepherdscheese.com…).

– 2004, Spring. Upon being prompted by the FDA, state officials show up unannounced at Organic Pastures Dairy (California) and pretend to be evaluating cheese production. However OPD workers see Special Agent Jennifer King secretly taking pictures of private customer files, and they tell her to leave (http://grassfedonthehill.com/govern…).

– 2005, June 23. Federal agents perform a series of raids on medical marijuana dispensaries, businesses, and personal homes throughout Northern California. They arrest many individuals along the way, despite the fact that marijuana dispensaries are legal in California (http://www.sddt.com/News/article.cf…).

– 2006, March 6. Ohio police, Ohio Department of Agriculture officials, FDA agents, and agents from unmarked vehicles intercept a raw milk pickup in the Cincinnati area. They confiscate milk and harass customers, and leave farm owner Gary Oakes so shaken up that he is hospitalized three times for post-traumatic stress disorder (http://www.businessweek.com/smallbi…).

– 2006, September 14. Armed agents storm the hunting preserve of Danny and Cindi Henshaw (Virginia), and perform SWAT-style raid of property They shoot dozens of hogs with 12-gauge shotguns and drag them off (http://www.readthehook.com/79983/co…).

– 2006, October 6. Armed agents from the FBI and FDA arrive at Growers Express (California), a produce company, and begin searching the premises for evidence that the company’s bagged spinach might be linked to an E. coli outbreak. Agents never even try contacting the company prior the raid, and find nothing in violation (http://www.naturalnews.com/020670.html).

– 2006, October 13. Michigan Department of Agriculture agents and police officers stop Richard Hebron on the way to deliver raw milk to cow share owners. Agents seize his cell phone and wallet, and proceed to unload 453 gallons of fresh milk from his truck. A six-month investigation finds Hebron innocent, but he gets stuck paying a $1,000 “administrative” fee (http://www.thecompletepatient.com/j…).

– 2006, November 21. Dozens of armed agents storm Glencolton Farms (Ontario), a farm that produces dairy among other things, poring through every building and structure on the property. They steal records, computers, and milk processing equipment. Farm owner Michael Schmidt, who provides raw milk to cow share owners, as well as other farm-fresh food, is fined $3,500 and placed on two years probation (http://www.glencoltonfarms.com/inde…).

– 2007, August. Pennsylvania Mennonite farmer Mark Nolt declares his God-given right to sell fresh milk and has his farm raided by federal and state agents, who seize $25,000 worth of milk, milk products, and other equipment. (http://www.farmfoodvoicesdc.com/201…
small.html).

– 2007, September 21. FDA agents spur the Virginia Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services to raid Double H Farm (Virginia) and seize and destroy pork products. Agents try to justify their actions by claiming the products contain the wrong price tags. Owners say they have been needlessly harassed by officials for years (http://www.readthehook.com/76761/po…).

– 2007, October 11. New York Department of Agriculture officials raid Meadowsweet Dairy (New York) and seize 260 pounds of raw milk products (http://ftcldf.org/meadowsweet%20dai…).

– 2008, April 28. Agents again raid Mennonite farmer Mark Nolt’s (Pennsylvania) property, and steal more milk, milk products, and equipment. This time, agents charge and take him into custody (http://www.ftcldf.org/aa/aa-26apr20…).

– 2008, December 15. Armed agents storm Manna Storehouse (Ohio), a family farmhouse that operates an organic food buying cooperative. Agents terrorize and hold family hostage for eight hours while ransacking house, and seizing food, computers, and records (http://www.ftcldf.org/press/press-1…).

– 2008, December 18. Agents pose as customers trying to buy goat cheese from Sharon Palmer’s Healthy Family Farms (California). She is then arrested and thrown in jail, and her businesses temporarily shut down (http://www.thecompletepatient.com/j…).

– 2009, April 8. Undercover agents trick daughter of farmers Armand and Teddi Bechard (Missouri) into selling them raw milk, which sparked harassment and extensive legal troubles for the family (http://www.naturalnews.com/030974_r…).

– 2009, January 16. Federal marshals raid Cocoon Nutrition (South Carolina), a nutritional supplement company, and arrest owner Stephen Heuer at gunpoint (http://www.naturalnews.com/025347.html).

– 2010, April 14. Dozens of FDA, IRS, and FBI agents conduct full-scale raid on Maxam Nutraceuticals (Oregon). Company complies with all notices, but gets targeted anyway by a fully-armed, SWAT-style cadre of officers, who steal products, paperwork, computers, and personal files (http://www.naturalnews.com/032203_M…).

– 2010, April 20. Two FDA agents, two US Marshals, and one state trooper raid Rainbow Acres (Pennsylvania) at 5 am, breaking their warrant’s restrictions instructing an inspection at “reasonable business hours.” Agents scour the premises for hours and charge the farm with illegally selling raw milk across state lines (http://www.farmtoconsumer.org/aa/aa…).

– 2009, Fall. USDA inspector shows up at Dollarhite Family Farm (Missouri) and demands an inspection. After insisting there were no problems with the family’s small-scale raising of bunny rabbits, USDA officials later try to fine the family $90,000 for alleged violations (http://www.naturalnews.com/032476_r…).

– 2010, May 26. Officials from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the Minnesota Department of Health send armed deputies to raid Hartmann Farm (Minnesota). Agents order Mike and Diana Harmann to stop selling all meat and dairy products, and to stop delivering raw milk (http://www.ftcldf.org/food-freedom-…).

– 2010, June 2. Agents from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, the Trade and Consumer Protection Agency, and local health officials, arrive unannounced at Hershberger Farm (Wisconsin). They violate private property signs, demand to do an inspection, and proceed to take shut coolers and order that raw milk be dumped in a field (http://www.ftcldf.org/news/WI-DATCP…).

– 2010, June 10. Officials from various health and law enforcement agencies raid the personal home of Rae Lynn Sandvig (Minnesota), a raw milk and local food consumer, for allegedly “assisting in the sale of raw milk” from her home by sharing food with neighbors (http://www.farmtoconsumer.org/swarm…).

– 2010, June 30. Various federal agents, and even Canadian agents, raid Rawesome Foods (California), a private, raw food buying club, and steal computers, raw food products, and other materials. They hold members and workers hostage for many hours before finally leaving with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of product (http://www.naturalnews.com/030136_R…).

– 2010, August 26. Agents show up at Morningland Dairy (Missouri) and confiscate cheese samples for testing. After improper handling of the samples, which allegedly return positive for contamination, the farm appeals. Officials then demand that the farm destroy its entire 50,000 pound inventory of raw, artisan cheese, valued at $250,000 (http://www.naturalnews.com/030148_M…).

– 2010, September 21. Federal agents arrive unannounced at Camino de Paz Montessori School and Farm (New Mexico) on supposed suspicion of marijuana. After scouring the premises and terrorizing teachers and students, they find nothing but fruits, vegetables, and other produce (http://www.naturalnews.com/030573_m…).

– 2010, September 21. After years of fighting back against federal tyranny, the Christian church ministry Daniel Chapter One (Rhode Island) is raided by agents from the FDA, IRS, the US Army Criminal Investigation Command and several other agencies. Agents break into the home of owners and steal computers, paperwork, files, personal documents, and hold owner at gunpoint (http://www.naturalnews.com/033265_D…).

– 2010, October 15. Georgia State Department of Agriculture officials illegally search raw milk buying club truck without warrant, seizes and orders 110 gallons of product to be dumped (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMfQ…).

– 2011, March 9. Minnesota officials again target Hartmann Farms (Minnesota), this time going after James Roettger, a man who helps distribute the farm’s food. Agents pull Roettger over while driving, seize as much as $6,000 worth of food from his van, and arrest him (http://www.thecompletepatient.com/j…).

– 2011, June 3. At the prompting of the FDA US Marshals raid Wyldewood Cellars (Kansas), producer of natural elderberry juice, and confiscate the entire stock of product, claiming it is an “unapproved drug” (http://www.naturalnews.com/032631_e…).

– 2011, August 3. Slew of agents conduct second raid on Rawesome Foods (California), a private, raw buying club, and confiscate everything in sight. They handcuff and arrest founder James Stewart, without warrant, and proceed to destroy the shop’s entire food inventory (http://www.naturalnews.com/033220_R…).

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