by Marc Emery (03 Feb, 2006)
Overgrow.com, Cannabisworld.com, Heaven's Stairway Seed Company, and Eurohemp.com Shut Down and Servers Seized by Canadian Police
Cannabisworld.com unavailable
When the world's largest websites for cannabis growers and enthusiasts disappeared from the web on Monday, January 30, it was thought to be a server problem.
As the week dragged on, tens of thousands of members, seed company sponsors, growers and fans worried there might be more than mere 'server' problems as Richard Calrisian (a pseudonym) had not made any statements in any web based media about any 'technical' problems.
Now it appears Heaven's Stairway Seeds (hempqc.com), Cannabisworld.com, Overgrow.com, Eurohemp.com have been shut down and the owners arrested in Canada; all their web properties seized, including the physical servers that held massive databases on thousands of growers, and tens of thousands of photographs of cannabis plants. Seed companies by the dozens used both Overgrow.com and Cannabisworld.com as a main trading ground. Over 40 seed companies had customer service interactive forums on these sites.
All the information held on those servers is now in the hands of police. It is not known what charges have been laid nor against whom. That police have not boasted about this seizure means the investigation is continuing, before any affected parties can react.
Cannabis Culture began receiving emails on Wednesday saying Richard Calrisian and his wife had been arrested along with four employees, but this could not be corroborated.
Overgrow.com unavailable
On the website
www.icmag.com, seed merchant Gypsy Nirvana, operating from England where cannabis seeds are legal, posted this news late Friday:
“It is with great sadness that I bring you the news that RC and HS, OG and CW have been taken down by the authorities in Canada.....
...I have it from a bonofide source that it happened on monday and RC's computers/servers have most probably been siezed, they spent 2 days going thru his house and removed alot of stuff ...
His wife and some members of his family were also taken into custody and it's possible that she may be released tommorrow on bail... There has not been a peep in the media about this so there could be a reason why it was not advertised by LEO......BE WARNED! not to try and log on to Overgrow or Cannaworld for now since most certainly the security of that site has been compromised and if it comes back up without me first hearing from RC then it is NOT being run by him.....think about it!
...This could bring up some real security issues with many Overgrow/Cannabisworld members.........be warned guys and do what you need to do to make it safer for all of you.......duck and cover if needs be....
....Yours Faithfully...
Gypsy Nirvana"
As soon as we find out more information about what's happened, we will provide updates here or in the Cannabis Culture forums. Overgrow.com website members are welcome to converge here to find out more and reconnect.
Marc Emery and Jodie Giesz-Ramsay, Friday February 3rd 2006, 6:10pm
