If you want to go out and pickup an iPad, you probably shouldn’t shop high. Palo Alto police were following-up on a stolen iPad using the “Find My iPad” software when the GPS locator brought them to the Woods apartment complex in San Jose, California. they knocked on the door where the locator said the iPad would be. A man answered and the police asked if they could step inside. The man agreed and let them in.

Assistant District Attorney David Tomkins commented on the behavior:

“They probably thought if they didn’t, we’d suspect something, or they thought, ‘I’ll let them in’ — they probably won’t find anything.'”

To the surprise of the officers, not only did they find the iPad, they found huge piles of crystal meth! The three occupants of the apartment were taken into custody and authorities called-in the narcotics department. A search warrant was obtained and the meth was seized.

There turned out to be 780 pounds of crystal meth in the apartment, some unrefined, but most of it was finished product. The value is estimated at $35 million. Apparently the meth gave-off no noticeable odor outside the apartment, but was very distinctive upon entrance.

It is not clear what motivated any of the individuals to steal the device, but with such a large stash of meth, there is no reason they couldn’t have afforded to buy one. I’ll bet they’re kicking themselves now. Sometimes our nature gets the best of us.

District Attorney Jeff Rosen commented on the case:

“I told my dad about the bust and he said, ‘They have $35 million, and they can’t go out and buy an iPad’?”

Apparently the suspects were too busy enjoying the merchandise to think clearly about their actions. I think $600 is a small price to pay for an iPad, especially it buys you peace of mind and keeps the police off your tracks. Further evidence that drugs do impair your judgement, and in this case, render you completely stupid.

None of the suspects names have been released, but I don’t think this will be a hard case to prosecute. I would guess that possession in this amount would carry a pretty hefty sentence even if you exclude the theft of the iPad.

Above photo courtesy of thewoodsapartments.com.