Drug runners on the CZ

[PetalumaLoco]

Fly from Detroit to SF, take Amtrak back with cocaine.

Caught after a year of running drugs, seems there was little to stop them.

LINK

 

[D T Nelson]

Fly from Detroit to SF, take Amtrak back with cocaine.Caught after a year of running drugs, seems there was little to stop them.

LINK

I watched a fellow being arrested for running drugs on the Empire Builder the week before last. During the stop in Havre, the Border Patrol came on the train with a drug-sniffing dog. I didn't see this happen, so I'm not sure if it went through the baggage car, or the baggage areas of the coaches, or what, but apparently the dog identified a bag and they matched the bag to its owner, and the owner was removed from the train. I first became aware something was going on when I saw several green-uniformed Border Patrol men speaking to a fellow sitting on a bench on the platform, an open suitcase next to him. Before we left the station, I saw a Havre police car pull up; as the train pulled away, from the window of my roomette I saw the young criminal, his head in his hand, surrounded by two Havre cops and five Border Patrol agents.

Not quite the trip he expected.

Here is the article in the Havre Daily News about the arrest.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Fly from Detroit to SF, take Amtrak back with cocaine.Caught after a year of running drugs, seems there was little to stop them.

LINK

After watching the video I notice they show a Cal Amtrak train , not a LD train!

Also does this mean they want us to pull off our shoes and let dogs sniff everything

before we leave the station? Criminals are crimin als, theyll just move it

to trucks or cars or even motor homes with hard up wanna-be gangster retirees! :lol:

It says here another example of media not quite getting it right?Is that station a

FOX outlet? :lol:

 

[D.P. Roberts]

That story bugs me.

The reporters seem to indicate - at least according to the questions they asked and the responses they tried to provoke - that Amtrak OUGHT to be searching bags for drugs.

The bit about airline searches - "You got to the airport and take off your shoes and do all this stuff… and you get on the train and park your suitcase and that's the end of that" - well, why SHOULD there be more than that? The reason you're searched at the airport is not to find illegal drugs, but to find weapons or bombs that might be used in a terrorist attack.

This is not to say that I'm okay with people running drugs. If the Federal authorities are investigating the drug trade, and they want to investigate a possible drug smuggling operation on a train, that's fine, as long as they go through the proper channels (which is what happened in this investigation). I just don't think it's Amtrak's responsibility to monitor passengers' luggage. The freedom shoe-checking & long security lines is one of the best parts of riding trains. I'd hate to lose that.

 

[Trainmans daughter]

Dread Pirate Roberts, you spoke my mind! "As you wish!"

 

[MattW]

Soon as Amtrak starts airport-style security, they'll see those little red numbers in the "profit" colum get bigger and bigger and BIGGER!

(as in negative numbers)

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

What idiots... they're stupid for drug runners-- they could have at least taken a different routing home every few days!

 

[Bob Dylan]

What idiots... they're stupid for drug runners-- they could have at least taken a different routing home every few days!

Drug mules are not known for their smarts and are expendable,sort of a cost of doing business so to

speak!They do what they are told by their "boss" or else!Its a dirty business and folks need to realize

that its not a harmless habit nor hurting anyone else if you choose to use!

 

[the_traveler]

Part of the reason that I take trains instead of flying is so I don't have to go thru that "take off your shoes and empty your pockets" security stuff! Next month is the furst time I'm flying since early 2003 - and I'm not looking forward to it!

Give me "wait on the platform" and "find a seat" and "bring any size liquid containers" any day!

 

[Upstate]

After more than a year of flying under the radar, federal authorities finally got tipped off and the ring was busted.

It sounds like someone snitched.

I am not worried about it. The article didn't mention weapons or any threats to people getting to their destinations safely.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Part of the reason that I take trains instead of flying is so I don't have to go thru that "take off your shoes and empty your pockets" security stuff! Next month is the furst time I'm flying since early 2003 - and I'm not looking forward to it!
Give me "wait on the platform" and "find a seat" and "bring any size liquid containers" any day!

Hear!Hear!

 

[mercedeslove]

Fly from Detroit to SF, take Amtrak back with cocaine.Caught after a year of running drugs, seems there was little to stop them.

LINK

After watching the video I notice they show a Cal Amtrak train , not a LD train!

Also does this mean they want us to pull off our shoes and let dogs sniff everything

before we leave the station? Criminals are crimin als, theyll just move it

to trucks or cars or even motor homes with hard up wanna-be gangster retirees! :lol:

It says here another example of media not quite getting it right?Is that station a

FOX outlet? :lol:

haha I love when people make fun of Fox news. I do it so often and it brings me joy.

 

[RRrich]

Most of the obnoxious airline security is aimed at insuring that pax are not bringing explosives on board (as was mentioned earlier in the thread). If the constabulary either local or federal or somewhere in between wants me and my baggage to be sniffed by a well trained dog, that is OK with me but I do hope that the dog does not react to my owning or being owned by several cats.

 

[sportbiker]

I liked the reporter's "undercover" angle: he had to tell us that he took a flip video camera and actually recorded people getting on the train! I'm in awe of his stealthy abilities. Give Boy Genius an Emmy for investigative reporting!!

 

[tp49]

There's only one reason people in this market watch CBS 13. Here's a hint, it's not for their reporting skills or journalistic ability.

I watched the story when it aired last night. I laughed at all the inaccuracies. Hopefully, I'll be getting a copy of the indictment in the next week or so. Should be an interesting read.

 

[Chris J.]

That story bugs me.
The reporters seem to indicate - at least according to the questions they asked and the responses they tried to provoke - that Amtrak OUGHT to be searching bags for drugs.

The bit about airline searches - "You got to the airport and take off your shoes and do all this stuff… and you get on the train and park your suitcase and that's the end of that" - well, why SHOULD there be more than that? The reason you're searched at the airport is not to find illegal drugs, but to find weapons or bombs that might be used in a terrorist attack.

This is not to say that I'm okay with people running drugs. If the Federal authorities are investigating the drug trade, and they want to investigate a possible drug smuggling operation on a train, that's fine, as long as they go through the proper channels (which is what happened in this investigation). I just don't think it's Amtrak's responsibility to monitor passengers' luggage. The freedom shoe-checking & long security lines is one of the best parts of riding trains. I'd hate to lose that.

Perhaps the road cops should stop and search EVERY car ...

 

[user 1215]

Airline security is not in place to catch drugs. Airline security - and the T(housands) S(tanding) A(round) - is in place to provide security. Keep people from getting killed. Keep airplanes in the air where they belong. Keep hijackers from causing terrorism.

If they put in high security on Amtrak for criminal activity, it would be for the wrong reason. I don't mind the spot checks and the occasional dog. Suspicious activity should always be reported.

But the train shouldn't go crazy for the few that want to transport illicit drugs.

 

[had8ley]

Back before 9/11 they had a smoking compartment downstairs on the Sunset (which had a high number of funny stuff smokers.) A very foolish drug "mule" (drug runner) decided to sample some of his wares and passed out downstairs in the smoking section. They had to call an ambulance at Tucson to get him off. I suppose he's still in the clink; the conductor said they found 3 kilos of cocaine in his luggage.

 

[sky12065]

Fly from Detroit to SF, take Amtrak back with cocaine.Caught after a year of running drugs, seems there was little to stop them.

LINK

After watching the video I notice they show a Cal Amtrak train , not a LD train!

Also does this mean they want us to pull off our shoes and let dogs sniff everything

before we leave the station? Criminals are crimin als, theyll just move it

to trucks or cars or even motor homes with hard up wanna-be gangster retirees! :lol:

It says here another example of media not quite getting it right?Is that station a

FOX outlet? :lol:

haha I love when people make fun of Fox news. I do it so often and it brings me joy.

Jim said "Fox outlet" and I presume that to mean mostly local Fox news casts. As for Cable FoxNews, I love it when people realize that they're have been wrong about FoxNews. They're about the only outlet where one can count on getting facts and ideological cover-ups exposed and not get the wool pulled over their eyes regardless of ones ideologies. That's right... both left and right! Other outlets swing in whatever direction the wind blows for profits and ratings... and to the contray it's hurting them severly in both profits and ratings! Don''t believe it if want, check it out for yourself! But Fox popularity ratings overwhelmingly prove what I'm saying and they're getting more and more popular as people learn the truth and about how their being misled elsewhere!

I hope this will be my final word on this since politics should not be discussed on this forum and because the political bashing of FoxNews should not have been brought up in the first place! Let's keep the political bashing on the blogs that love to bash and try to mislead others! Discuss Amtrak and trains here on AU!

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Back before 9/11 they had a smoking compartment downstairs on the Sunset (which had a high number of funny stuff smokers.) A very foolish drug "mule" (drug runner) decided to sample some of his wares and passed out downstairs in the smoking section. They had to call an ambulance at Tucson to get him off. I suppose he's still in the clink; the conductor said they found 3 kilos of cocaine in his luggage.

My mother always says she worries about Amtrak's lax security. It took me months to convince her that trains don't get hijacked, or that bombs are very VERY improbable.

Then it was crashes-- I had to convince her that a Superliner car was a pretty sturdy piece of hardware.

Now it's drug runner. She fears that cartels are going to pack 200lbs of coke into the baggage car and bring enough firepower to defend it and take us all hostage..

 

[Ryan]

I think that your view on Fox "News" are wildly off the mark. It's not possible to simultaneously play the victim and say that Fox's ratings suffer for it's slavish devotion to "truth" and say that Fox's high popularity proves your point. If they were that popular, then the ratings would show that. What your data shows is that (in my opinion) Fox "News" excels at telling its viewers what they want to hear, and confirming their worldview as "truth". Unfortunately (for Fox), the number of people that hold that worldview is drawing down day by day.

But to your larger point, it absolutely amazes me that now twice today I've seen a "we shouldn't be talking about politics" post completely intertwined with outrageously biased and incorrect right wing rambling. If you truly want this to be a "no politics" zone, than state as much while leaving your personal opinions off the table. If you put them on the table, than stand by to have them challenged and be discussed without hiding behind the "let's not talk about politics banner".

My $0.02 on the matter. Joe and George, I'm sure that you're both great guys that I'd love to talk trains with until the cows come home - I mean no personal disrespect by calling you out like this, but it's something that I see over and over in other forums and conversations in the workplace, and it always gets under my skin.

 

[Upstate]

Back before 9/11 they had a smoking compartment downstairs on the Sunset (which had a high number of funny stuff smokers.) A very foolish drug "mule" (drug runner) decided to sample some of his wares and passed out downstairs in the smoking section. They had to call an ambulance at Tucson to get him off. I suppose he's still in the clink; the conductor said they found 3 kilos of cocaine in his luggage.

My mother always says she worries about Amtrak's lax security. It took me months to convince her that trains don't get hijacked, or that bombs are very VERY improbable.

Then it was crashes-- I had to convince her that a Superliner car was a pretty sturdy piece of hardware.

Now it's drug runner. She fears that cartels are going to pack 200lbs of coke into the baggage car and bring enough firepower to defend it and take us all hostage..

If they actually did bring guns onboard and try to take a train hostage gig would be up. I don't know exactly how they got caught, but I bet they could throw another drug runner on the CZ tomorrow and still not get caught.

 

[caravanman]

One of the great shocks I had on my first trips to the USA was the way "opinions" get passed off by TV news as "facts" over there.. sadly a trend the UK is following. Even this side of the pond Fox TV is well known as a biased right wing channel. Which is sort of ok, just so long as the viewer is aware of the bias !

Anyway, you right honourable ladies and gents, as we say in Parliament, back to the trains..

There has to be a joke about dealers being on "the right lines" using Amtrak.. ?

Ed

 

[the_traveler]

My mother always says she worries about Amtrak's lax security. It took me months to convince her that trains don't get hijacked, or that bombs are very VERY improbable.

I can't remember the last time that I heard of an Amtrak train being hijacked to Cuba!

Then it was crashes-- I had to convince her that a Superliner car was a pretty sturdy piece of hardware.

When was the last crash of a plane that had only 1 or 2 deaths? (Maybe 1 or 2 survived!) Or a plane crash where 10 were injured but nobody was killed?

Now it's drug runner. She fears that cartels are going to pack 200lbs of coke into the baggage car and bring enough firepower to defend it and take us all hostage..

I'm almost sure there more drug runners on I-95 than on all Amtrak trains!

 

[Upstate]

Then it was crashes-- I had to convince her that a Superliner car was a pretty sturdy piece of hardware.

When was the last crash of a plane that had only 1 or 2 deaths? (Maybe 1 or 2 survived!) Or a plane crash where 10 were injured but nobody was killed?

Back in January when the US Airways flight was put down on the Hudson.