[indicatoker420]

Air passengers caught entering Britain with cannabis in their luggage are being let off with just a ‘slap on the wrist’.
Customs staff were found to have handed out nothing more than a warning to passengers arriving at Britain’s second biggest airport.
Home Office officials insist that anyone caught with the illegal Class B drug in their luggage should be arrested on the spot. They can face a jail term of up to 14 years.
But inspectors found that at Gatwick, where small amounts of cannabis were discovered, passengers were not even detained by officials.


Instead they were given an oral warning, had the drug confiscated and then were allowed to continue their journey.
The revelations have prompted fears that cannabis laws are being widely ignored across Britain’s airports, leading to a virtual ‘open door’ situation for drug smugglers who know they have every chance of escaping any punishment even if caught.
Details of the practice at Gatwick emerged in a report by the chief inspector of the UK Border Agency, John Vine.
Airport records for April and May 2011 showed that a total of four passengers were found with small quantities of cannabis after luggage searches at Gatwick North Terminal.


Under the rules, they should have been arrested and their case passed to an investigation team. But instead, inspectors said, all four ‘were allowed to proceed with a warning’.
Inspectors are allowed to let low-level drugs offenders pay a fine known as a compound settlement, but this must be done with the approval of a senior officer. In none of the four cases was the passenger even given a financial penalty.
The passengers’ personal details were recorded on an internal UK Border Agency computer system, but were not passed to the police or placed on the Police National Computer.
In effect, they have nothing against their name unless they commit the same crime again.
One former Customs officer said: ‘The police are now giving out warnings for bringing in cannabis... It would not surprise me in the least if this was more widespread.’
Last night Mary Brett, of campaign group Europe Against Drugs, said: ‘This is ridiculous. It sends the message, “Bring your cannabis here to Britain and if we catch you it doesn’t matter”.
‘This is simply an extension of the police’s lax attitude on the streets towards cannabis into the airport. They do not consider it a crime and they are happy to turn a blind eye.
‘Those who are caught should be dealt with properly and arrested.
‘If the authorities did prosecute a few it would send a message that we take cannabis seriously, which we obviously do not at the moment.’
Garry Cullen, assistant chief inspector of the UK Border Agency, said that what the inspectors found was ‘worrying’ and officials were acting outside the law.
‘Clearly we were concerned with what we found,’ he said. ‘They should comply with the rules that are set out and they did not.'


Under the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act the maximum penalty for bringing a class B drug such as cannabis into Britain is 14 years in jail and an unlimited fine. But in practice, penalties for cannabis possession on Britain’s streets have been steadily eroded in recent years.
The drug was downgraded to Class C by the then Home Secretary, Labour’s David Blunkett, in 2004.


Since then, users have no longer faced automatic arrest. Instead, police give a formal warning for cannabis possession on the street.
Even after it was restored to Class B in 2008 police were allowed to give out cannabis warnings, which were handed to nearly 19,000 offenders in 2010 and do not go on offenders’ formal record.
Experts warned that ignoring penalties would encourage more people to bring in drugs.
Criminologist Dr David Green, director of the Civitas think tank, said: ‘If you allow it to be known that the law is not enforced, people will break it more frequently.
‘Word will spread that you can get cannabis in at Gatwick and more people will try to bring it in.’
The report said staff had been moved away from Customs checks to staff immigration controls.
Lucy Moreton, deputy general secretary of the Immigration Services Union, said: ‘I can’t say I’m surprised. Like everything, the customs side of the operation is limited and there’s a lot of pressure to put people on to immigration checks.
‘Given the pressure on staff I can understand if the view was to confiscate the drugs and let the individual go.’
A Border Force spokesman said: ‘Our message is clear: Importing cannabis is illegal and our officers will seize it and other illegal drugs if smugglers try to bring it into the UK.
‘In recent weeks we have seized 100 kilos [220lb] of cannabis alone, and we are continuing to tackle the drug trade and prosecute smugglers.’


Link - http://www.dailymail...o=feeds-newsxml

[indicatoker420]

Hash smuggling waiting to happen I think.

[cheezychong]

I know they're shitting it come the Olympics,
gonna be busy busy busy

[MekongBlues]

Happy days, let's hope we start getting some decent hash smuggled in!

[AlbertScroggins]

letting it in to keep calm the natives , perhaps

e2a; roll on genuine red/gold seal et al

This post has been edited by AlbertScroggins: 14 May 2012 - 10:27 PM

[indicatoker420]

To be honest I think hash would just get cut and turned into soap when it gets over here. I bet once upon a time the soap bar here now would have been made from imported pure hash but then turned into soap for profit. Around my area soap bar has been forgotten about now for about 3 and a half years and now I don't see it any anywhere (I wouldn't smoke it even if it was still here). The thing I liked about soap bar though is that it creates comepetition because it's cheap so whoever grows weed needs to sell oz's cheaper so other dealers will buy their bud rather than soap bar and also a lot of smokers like to buy whatevers cheapest so they'll buy soap bar.

[AlbertScroggins]

indicatoker420, on 14 May 2012 - 10:37 PM, said:

To be honest I think hash would just get cut and turned into soap when it gets over here. I bet once upon a time the soap bar here now would have been made from imported pure hash but then turned into soap for profit. Around my area soap bar has been forgotten about now for about 3 and a half years and now I don't see it any anywhere (I wouldn't smoke it even if it was still here). The thing I liked about soap bar though is that it creates comepetition because it's cheap so whoever grows weed needs to sell oz's cheaper so other dealers will buy their bud rather than soap bar and also a lot of smokers like to buy whatevers cheapest so they'll buy soap bar.

mebbe, but if u remember the 80's 90's then it wasn't always "cut"

[indicatoker420]

AlbertScroggins, on 14 May 2012 - 10:42 PM, said:

indicatoker420, on 14 May 2012 - 10:37 PM, said:

To be honest I think hash would just get cut and turned into soap when it gets over here. I bet once upon a time the soap bar here now would have been made from imported pure hash but then turned into soap for profit. Around my area soap bar has been forgotten about now for about 3 and a half years and now I don't see it any anywhere (I wouldn't smoke it even if it was still here). The thing I liked about soap bar though is that it creates comepetition because it's cheap so whoever grows weed needs to sell oz's cheaper so other dealers will buy their bud rather than soap bar and also a lot of smokers like to buy whatevers cheapest so they'll buy soap bar.

mebbe, but if u remember the 80's 90's then it wasn't always "cut"

Maybe because then there was lots and lots coming in, enough to supply everybody without having to cut it. Now technology gets better and is now easier to catch smugglers, not as much gets through because a lot are getting caught which therefore means less hash and more cutting. I could be wrong but that's my opinion.

This post has been edited by indicatoker420: 14 May 2012 - 10:51 PM

[AlbertScroggins]

indicatoker420, on 14 May 2012 - 10:51 PM, said:

AlbertScroggins, on 14 May 2012 - 10:42 PM, said:

indicatoker420, on 14 May 2012 - 10:37 PM, said:

To be honest I think hash would just get cut and turned into soap when it gets over here. I bet once upon a time the soap bar here now would have been made from imported pure hash but then turned into soap for profit. Around my area soap bar has been forgotten about now for about 3 and a half years and now I don't see it any anywhere (I wouldn't smoke it even if it was still here). The thing I liked about soap bar though is that it creates comepetition because it's cheap so whoever grows weed needs to sell oz's cheaper so other dealers will buy their bud rather than soap bar and also a lot of smokers like to buy whatevers cheapest so they'll buy soap bar.

mebbe, but if u remember the 80's 90's then it wasn't always "cut"

Maybe because then there was lots and lots coming in, enough to supply everybody without having to cut it. Now technology gets better and is now easier to catch smugglers, not as much gets through because a lot are getting caught which therefore means less hash and more cutting. I could be wrong but that's my opinion.

true enough though IF, as suggested in the thread not as much emphasis is being put on hashish smuggling by powers that be, perhaps those which bring in said hash may [] become aware of this and therefore bring in , and not cut up the hash . as much .
mebbe the hash smuggly type people <bring some nice stuffs in now - an dunna be cuttin it

I mean ; been decades since propper black, morrocan, leb etc be available, easily, anywhere

This post has been edited by AlbertScroggins: 14 May 2012 - 11:29 PM

[eurasian_farmer]

Make believe!

They took 110 quid off me and kept me in til 2am!

This is the kind of cyclical story that encourages the fence sitters and 'conservatives' to demand tougher restrictions & higher fines.

But yea, we can all cream our panties waiting for decent hash to be smuggled in.

BTW - you're about a thousand times more likely to find heroin and/or 3rd world women being smuggled in than hash.

so there.


"I mean ; been decades since propper black, morrocan, leb etc be available, easily, anywhere" .....Except Morroco/Lebanon/Nepal/ & my bubblebags...

[spusman]

indicatoker420, on 14 May 2012 - 09:43 PM, said:

Air passengers caught entering Britain with cannabis in their luggage are being let off with just a ‘slap on the wrist’.
Customs staff were found to have handed out nothing more than a warning to passengers arriving at Britain’s second biggest airport.
Home Office officials insist that anyone caught with the illegal Class B drug in their luggage should be arrested on the spot. They can face a jail term of up to 14 years.
But inspectors found that at Gatwick, where small amounts of cannabis were discovered, passengers were not even detained by officials.


Instead they were given an oral warning, had the drug confiscated and then were allowed to continue their journey.
The revelations have prompted fears that cannabis laws are being widely ignored across Britain’s airports, leading to a virtual ‘open door’ situation for drug smugglers who know they have every chance of escaping any punishment even if caught.
Details of the practice at Gatwick emerged in a report by the chief inspector of the UK Border Agency, John Vine.
Airport records for April and May 2011 showed that a total of four passengers were found with small quantities of cannabis after luggage searches at Gatwick North Terminal.


Under the rules, they should have been arrested and their case passed to an investigation team. But instead, inspectors said, all four ‘were allowed to proceed with a warning’.
Inspectors are allowed to let low-level drugs offenders pay a fine known as a compound settlement, but this must be done with the approval of a senior officer. In none of the four cases was the passenger even given a financial penalty.
The passengers’ personal details were recorded on an internal UK Border Agency computer system, but were not passed to the police or placed on the Police National Computer.
In effect, they have nothing against their name unless they commit the same crime again.
One former Customs officer said: ‘The police are now giving out warnings for bringing in cannabis... It would not surprise me in the least if this was more widespread.’
Last night Mary Brett, of campaign group Europe Against Drugs, said: ‘This is ridiculous. It sends the message, “Bring your cannabis here to Britain and if we catch you it doesn’t matter”.
‘This is simply an extension of the police’s lax attitude on the streets towards cannabis into the airport. They do not consider it a crime and they are happy to turn a blind eye.
‘Those who are caught should be dealt with properly and arrested.
‘If the authorities did prosecute a few it would send a message that we take cannabis seriously, which we obviously do not at the moment.’
Garry Cullen, assistant chief inspector of the UK Border Agency, said that what the inspectors found was ‘worrying’ and officials were acting outside the law.
‘Clearly we were concerned with what we found,’ he said. ‘They should comply with the rules that are set out and they did not.'


Under the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act the maximum penalty for bringing a class B drug such as cannabis into Britain is 14 years in jail and an unlimited fine. But in practice, penalties for cannabis possession on Britain’s streets have been steadily eroded in recent years.
The drug was downgraded to Class C by the then Home Secretary, Labour’s David Blunkett, in 2004.


Since then, users have no longer faced automatic arrest. Instead, police give a formal warning for cannabis possession on the street.
Even after it was restored to Class B in 2008 police were allowed to give out cannabis warnings, which were handed to nearly 19,000 offenders in 2010 and do not go on offenders’ formal record.
Experts warned that ignoring penalties would encourage more people to bring in drugs.
Criminologist Dr David Green, director of the Civitas think tank, said: ‘If you allow it to be known that the law is not enforced, people will break it more frequently.
‘Word will spread that you can get cannabis in at Gatwick and more people will try to bring it in.’
The report said staff had been moved away from Customs checks to staff immigration controls.
Lucy Moreton, deputy general secretary of the Immigration Services Union, said: ‘I can’t say I’m surprised. Like everything, the customs side of the operation is limited and there’s a lot of pressure to put people on to immigration checks.
‘Given the pressure on staff I can understand if the view was to confiscate the drugs and let the individual go.’
A Border Force spokesman said: ‘Our message is clear: Importing cannabis is illegal and our officers will seize it and other illegal drugs if smugglers try to bring it into the UK.
‘In recent weeks we have seized 100 kilos [220lb] of cannabis alone, and we are continuing to tackle the drug trade and prosecute smugglers.’


Link - http://www.dailymail...o=feeds-newsxml

That Mary Brett and that ugfest called Peter Hichins advocate policies that would double the criminal justice bill (that's about another 20 billion quid)and then would have to double prison building, by the time they got done nicking everyone in the UK our work force would be even more diminished let alone the damage the depression has done.

Fucking morons

This post has been edited by Tremont: 23 October 2012 - 12:21 PM

[plonka]

TYS, on 14 May 2012 - 10:07 PM, said:

theres more people carrying it out rather than bringing it in these days!

yep i went for a nice trip around France in the car a few months ago. took some of my stash with me. they only searched my car on the way in to the uk.
love it the french customs asked me if i had any drugs in the car, so i said yes ( the boot was full of booze and fags) you guys should have seen the look on his face " yay i caught one" then the disappointment when i showed it to him.

conversation was like this ( i'd translate it but it looses its meaning or funniness if i did so sorry non frenchers)

him " et ou sont les stupéfient ? "
me " pour être sincère je suis stupéfait, et c'est vous qui me rendez comme ca"
him " quoi ?"
me " c'est toi le stupéfient"
bamboozled from that he let me go

[Baked Ben]

plonka, on 15 May 2012 - 08:02 AM, said:

TYS, on 14 May 2012 - 10:07 PM, said:

theres more people carrying it out rather than bringing it in these days!

yep i went for a nice trip around France in the car a few months ago. took some of my stash with me. they only searched my car on the way in to the uk.
love it the french customs asked me if i had any drugs in the car, so i said yes ( the boot was full of booze and fags) you guys should have seen the look on his face " yay i caught one" then the disappointment when i showed it to him.

conversation was like this ( i'd translate it but it looses its meaning or funniness if i did so sorry non frenchers)

him " et ou sont les stupéfient ? "
me " pour être sincère je suis stupéfait, et c'est vous qui me rendez comme ca"
him " quoi ?"
me " c'est toi le stupéfient"
bamboozled from that he let me go

t'as des couilles pour dire ca au police nationale!

[Bhang Buddie]