By Brad Heath and Jack Queen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -One night last week, police officers in Washington stopped a man carrying a designer handbag after spotting a small, clear plastic bag poking out of it, which they suspected might contain marijuana.

It was the kind of encounter that is a staple of local police work, only this time the officers who asked to look inside the bag were accompanied by agents from five separate federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the Secret Service, according to records filed in a local court.

They seized about three ounces of marijuana, an ounce more than people can legally possess in the U.S. capital. They charged the man with a misdemeanor, a crime punishable by a fine and a short jail sentence.

The arrest happened amid a crackdown on v

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