5 ms·

FTA: "Those 402 stops resulted in three reported drug seizures: about 10 grams of drugs from one passenger, 26 grams of “suspected THC gummies” from another, an

by Arrath 4y ago

FTA: "Those 402 stops resulted in three reported drug seizures: about 10 grams of drugs from one passenger, 26 grams of “suspected THC gummies” from another, and six prescription pills without a prescription from a third, the lawsuit says. Only the first and third person were charged. Those 402 stops also yielded more than $1 million in cash and money orders from a total of 25 passengers." Sounds like a government sanctioned shakedown operation with a thin veneer of the drug war to explain it. Sickening. Civil forfeiture must stop.

lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 4y ago
You already touched on it but something that's always in the back of my mind when it's "because drugs" is that the excuse given doesn't even hold its own merit. The implication always seems to be that they're criminals (the dehumanization effect here is strong) and you're supposed to stop thinking critically now. It's incredibly frustrating to me how effective this is with a large population of people.
pyuser583 4y ago
“prescription pills without a prescription” How does this work? You’re not required to carry a prescription with you. You’re not even required to keep pills in their original container! Is there a positive requirement to present a prescription upon request? I travel with prescribed medications a lot, and the lack of any clear way to prove they are legit is weird. Now they’re arresting people for what is impossible.
- stjohnswarts 4y ago
  I assume they mean the person was unable to show a prescription obtained for the drugs at all, not that they didn't have the Rx on them.
  - pyuser583 4y ago
    But there’s no obligation to show anyone prescription, and proving guilt means proving a negative. What would that trial look like?
    - hombre_fatal 4y ago
      These are scheduled substances, right? So in the trial you would be able to present proof from the doctor’s office that gave you the prescription. If you can’t do that, how did you get the pills in a legal way?
      - pyuser583 4y ago
        In US courts, the prosecution has to prove guilt. Prosecutors must show that no doctor in any country prescribed be the medications. It would be helpful for me to present a script. But if I don’t, it’s still on the prosecution to prove a large negative. I bet they got the folks to confess. I don’t see how else you could prove this.
        stjohnswarts 4y ago
        Simply having it and being caught with it is guilt unless you have proof that you're legally allowed to possess said narcotic. lol what else do you need for a crime other than a smoking gun? Are you listening to yourself?
        pyuser583 4y ago
        It’s not. There’s no obligation to have any evidence the medication was prescribed. I had assumed there was. At least carrying the medication in the original container. But nope. You can carry it around in a tic-tac container. And burden of proof is on prosecution. They have to show you don’t have a script. Maybe if they showed you bought it from someone who wasn’t a pharmacist? Or had messages on your phone about buying it illegally? Or confessing, I guess.
    - stjohnswarts 4y ago
      It would look like you had a controlled substance on you, and you don't have any proof that you ever had a prescription. That's a crime, and doubly so at an airport where you're getting ready to cross state lines. It's really simple, actually.
    - 4y ago
  - kadoban 4y ago
    You assume too much. This could really mean anything, including that their meds were next to too much cash for the cop to resist taking, or that the person was annoying.
    - hjkl0 4y ago
      Sounds like you’re making much more wild and less founded assumptions
      - kadoban 4y ago
        > This could really mean anything, including Nope.
    - stjohnswarts 4y ago
      No i didn't, if you have what can be considered narcotics and don't back that up with a prescription at some point you can certainly be arrested and charged with a crime, especially at an airport where it becomes a federal crime. It's as simple as that.
tbyehl 4y ago
$40K per seizure or nearly $2,500 per stop, hell of an ROI. I used to be acquainted with a cop out of Carroll county and the way he'd casually talk about the money he'd seized the prior week was gross. Hundreds of dollars. Usually on a Friday night. Pay day.

by Arrath 4y ago

lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 4y ago

You already touched on it but something that's always in the back of my mind when it's "because drugs" is that the excuse given doesn't even hold its own merit. The implication always seems to be that they're criminals (the dehumanization effect here is strong) and you're supposed to stop thinking critically now. It's incredibly frustrating to me how effective this is with a large population of people.

pyuser583 4y ago

“prescription pills without a prescription” How does this work? You’re not required to carry a prescription with you. You’re not even required to keep pills in their original container! Is there a positive requirement to present a prescription upon request? I travel with prescribed medications a lot, and the lack of any clear way to prove they are legit is weird. Now they’re arresting people for what is impossible.

stjohnswarts 4y ago
I assume they mean the person was unable to show a prescription obtained for the drugs at all, not that they didn't have the Rx on them.
- pyuser583 4y ago
  But there’s no obligation to show anyone prescription, and proving guilt means proving a negative. What would that trial look like?
  - hombre_fatal 4y ago
    These are scheduled substances, right? So in the trial you would be able to present proof from the doctor’s office that gave you the prescription. If you can’t do that, how did you get the pills in a legal way?
    - pyuser583 4y ago
      In US courts, the prosecution has to prove guilt. Prosecutors must show that no doctor in any country prescribed be the medications. It would be helpful for me to present a script. But if I don’t, it’s still on the prosecution to prove a large negative. I bet they got the folks to confess. I don’t see how else you could prove this.
      - stjohnswarts 4y ago
        Simply having it and being caught with it is guilt unless you have proof that you're legally allowed to possess said narcotic. lol what else do you need for a crime other than a smoking gun? Are you listening to yourself?
        pyuser583 4y ago
        It’s not. There’s no obligation to have any evidence the medication was prescribed. I had assumed there was. At least carrying the medication in the original container. But nope. You can carry it around in a tic-tac container. And burden of proof is on prosecution. They have to show you don’t have a script. Maybe if they showed you bought it from someone who wasn’t a pharmacist? Or had messages on your phone about buying it illegally? Or confessing, I guess.
  - stjohnswarts 4y ago
    It would look like you had a controlled substance on you, and you don't have any proof that you ever had a prescription. That's a crime, and doubly so at an airport where you're getting ready to cross state lines. It's really simple, actually.
  - 4y ago
- kadoban 4y ago
  You assume too much. This could really mean anything, including that their meds were next to too much cash for the cop to resist taking, or that the person was annoying.
  - hjkl0 4y ago
    Sounds like you’re making much more wild and less founded assumptions
    - kadoban 4y ago
      > This could really mean anything, including Nope.
  - stjohnswarts 4y ago
    No i didn't, if you have what can be considered narcotics and don't back that up with a prescription at some point you can certainly be arrested and charged with a crime, especially at an airport where it becomes a federal crime. It's as simple as that.

tbyehl 4y ago

$40K per seizure or nearly $2,500 per stop, hell of an ROI. I used to be acquainted with a cop out of Carroll county and the way he'd casually talk about the money he'd seized the prior week was gross. Hundreds of dollars. Usually on a Friday night. Pay day.