Tommy Chong, one half of the Cheech and Chong comedy duo, was sentenced to nine months in federal prison and fined $20,000 on 11 September 2003 for selling bongs and other drug paraphernalia over the Internet.[1] U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the term in Pittsburgh after Chong pleaded guilty in May to conspiring to sell drug paraphernalia through his California family company, Nice Dreams Enterprises, which did business as Chong Glass.[1][2]
Chong admitted distributing 7,500 bongs and marijuana pipes online through the company, which employed 25 glass blowers and was named for one of his films.[2] DEA agents bought his products and had them shipped to an undercover business in Beaver Falls, northwest of Pittsburgh, then confiscated thousands of bongs and pipes in a raid on his Gardena, California, business.[1] As part of the sentence he forfeited the Chongglass.com domain name, $103,514 in cash, and all paraphernalia seized in the 24 February raids.[2]
Operation Pipe Dreams
The case was the highest-profile result of Operation Pipe Dreams, a nationwide investigation in which the Justice Department announced indictments of 27 people in 17 cases targeting online and national paraphernalia distributors.[3] U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan, whose Pittsburgh office prosecuted Chong, said the sentence showed there were consequences for breaking the law “even if the violator is a well-known entertainer”.[2] Chong had asked for community service instead of prison, arguing he was a role model who had beaten drugs, but the judge refused; he was allowed to remain free until prison officials set a reporting date, and faced a year of probation after release.[1][2]
