Based on reading of this board, it is clear that sometimes LE does set up stings to catch hobbyists.  Though this is more of a threat for providers, they are keeping hobbyists on our toes as well, at least occasionally.

The strategy advised is to look for providers with lots of reviews, so that hobbyists can tell that they are well known in the community.  Has anyone ever seen LE post reviews for a decoy, however?  It seems like it would be a simple enough task (though somewhat time-consuming).

Secondly, as a legal question, would this create an entrapment problem for LE?  If they post reviews that are explicit (code worded or not doesn't matter), is there the problem that the idea to pursue the activity may have originated with LE?  This is the standard (in this state anyway) for entrapment.  They can provide the opportunity to commit criminal activity, but the initiative still needs  to come from the accused.

This is somewhat of a moot point, because as has been pointed out eloquently on the board, LE will do what they need to do to get the job done (stupid job, but they believe in it).  But to make sure they get convictions (and therefore, the money the state gets in fines), they might be cautious not to overstep the bounds of entrapment TOO blatantly.

Thoughts?