When anonymous activists shut down a Colorado mink farm last month, it was no surprise that no one was caught. In over 30 years of Animal Liberation Front raids, there have been fewer than 40 arrests for nearly 1,500 actions.
That doesn’t mean the FBI doesn’t try. Two weeks ago, the FBI raided a home in San Diego seeking evidence in the Colorado action. I am posting the warrant below, as well as the warrant to search a vehicle in the Bay Area.
A few notes about the warrants:
- There are two warrants: The first for a home in San Diego. The second for a vehicle and “tracker warrant” in San Diego. Presumably the “tracker warrant” refers to placing a tracking device on the vehicle.
- They specifically seek evidence for charges of Animal Enterprise Terrorism.
- While seemingly focused on the Craig, Colorado mink farm raid, they seek evidence in any crimes committed between “July and November 2013.” This was a period that saw 10 mink releases nationwide.
- They call for seizure of a laundry list of items from the Animal Liberation Front’s toolbox, including wire-cutters, bolt-cutters, and gloves. It also calls for literature related to fur farms and addresses of companies that use animals.
- The second warrant indicates there were items stolen from the property of the mink farm in Colorado, primarily guns. Not only would burglary of a home be far outside the range of standard Animal Liberation Front protocol, fur farmers are also frequently suspected of padding loss claims after ALF raids (presumably for insurance reasons).
Download a PDF of the warrant here, or view below.
FBI search warrant investigating Colorado mink farm raid