Buying Cell Phones is Terrorism ??

[Sam Odom]

...suspects are now facing two counts each of Homeland Security Terrorism charges. All three suspects are due to be arraigned August 12th.

Around 1:00am August 11th the three men purchased cell phones from the Wal-Mart store on M-81 near the corner of M-24 in Caro. Wal-Mart places a limit on the number of cell phones that can be purchased at once, that number is three. The three men allegedly bought 80 by purchasing them three at time so that an alert wouldn't be triggered by the cash register. They also paid cash...

The men have been "cooperative, upfront, not hiding" anything according to police. They also told officers they get stopped frequently and say they buy the phones for $20 and sell them elsewhere for $38. They sell them without the packaging or charger.

http://www.wnem.com/Global/story.asp?S=5269589

[uppityperson]

1. wonder what their ebay sellername is?

I could use a new cell phone.

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. I commented the other day that these were either terrorists

or small business entrepreneurs. It's the kind of thing that could happen to anybody in this fucked up paranoid
atmosphere.

[pdxbecca]

3. I just bought a cell phone on ebay

and I tell you, what most of the sellers charge to ship a cell phone they could make a pretty good living.

[KKKarl is an idiot]

4. Its not a good time to be in the cell phones re-selling business.

[HuffleClaw]

5. "They also told officers they get stopped frequently"

that really does tell the story doesn't it. there is just simply no way that had those guys been white this would have happened. lets hope the judge has more sense than the gestapo.

[AZBlue]

6. Oh, come on....something illegal is going on.

I don't know if it's meth or other drugs or terrorism (they use a phone once & toss it) or what, but no wholesaler would buy a $20 phone for $38 - especially when a wholesaler would pay about $10 for the same phone. Why do you think the 3 phone restriction is there in the first place?

[MercutioATC]

7. I heard that the rest of the story was:

...that they had an arrangement where they were shipping all of these hones to a group in Detroit. This group would then package them with instructions on how to use them as detonators for explosive devices and ship them overseas.

I don't know if this story is true, but if it is it does seem that these "entrepreneurs" should be investigated.

[stray cat]

8. Buying 80 raised some suspicians

I would hope someone would at least investigate although it clearly isn't illegal