Heres the reason he climbed the mast to escape

[Kukri]

A few years ago, HMRC picked up discarded fag packets after an Ipswich Town home game and found that more than 20% were smuggled - Ipswich is of course close to the port of Felixstowe, but it gives you an idea of the scale of things. Back in the Eighties, the Hong Kong government had to reverse a tax increase on fags because smuggling expanded enormously in consequence. We are all reading reports of "back yard" vodka distilling in parts of this country now.

Taking the long view, the only government "enlightened" enough to ban opium in the first part of the 19th century was China - we all know what happened there...British drug smugglers protected by their government pretty well destroyed the country.

Back to the subject of the thread, it does look rather as if the man who killed himself may have been an ordinary yachtsman who had run out of money on a cruise and been tempted into doing a drug run. In which case I think one may feel sorry for him on the basis that "there but for the Grace of God..." whilst not condoning in any way the drug smuggling gangsters.

 

[A1Sailor]

He said the potential profits for gangs was huge. Counterfeiters in China can manufacture a pack of cigarettes for less than 20p and sell them here for up to £5."

How much do you think it costs the "reputable" fag producers to produce a packet. Perhaps not much more than 20p..?

 

[lustyd]

How much do you think it costs the "reputable" fag producers to produce a packet. Perhaps not much more than 20p..?

yes but they may only get £1 for that pack and the other £7.50 is tax. The "bad guys" sell for £5 and make £4.20 profit...

 

[SimonFa]

How much do you think it costs the "reputable" fag producers to produce a packet. Perhaps not much more than 20p..?

There's also the issue of quality. Counterfeiters aren't going to worry too much about padding the product with cheaper and possibly more dangerous stuff so they can make even more money. This is a major problem with recreational drugs where brick dust is sometimes used leading to higher health risks.

 

[Twister_Ken]

And then the government - supposedly bright guys, Eton and Oxford, etc. - start talking about plain packaging for cigarettes, making the counterfeiters job ten times easier.

You couldn't make it up!

 

[rbcoomer]

What a shame Venezuela is so far - some bright entrepreneur could smuggle in petrol/diesel. Win/win from the perspective of Joe Public - you don't have to risk your health and can cut out the fat-cat in the middle! (Sorry make that 'fat cats' - HM Govt as well as Oil Co ) I wonder if the smuggler would have fallen on his sword for a few gallons of fuel or liquor...?

 

[BruceDanforth]

A fair bit of it gets paid for and consumed by bland middle class trendies at their horribly dull dinner parties so it isn't always paid for by crime.

Bizarre knocking of the customs, police and boarder force on this thread. The guy tries to land millions of quids worth of vile narcotics that are sold to desperate addicts who fuel their cravings through crime whilst round them their families disintegrate. And what we get on here is a parody of a 1970's right-on geography teacher from some nasty inner city comprehensive, whining about the nasty police and anyone else in authority.

The guy who died was selling stuff that screws lives and is paid for with miserable crime; the boys in black and blue got this one right, well done.

 

[Capt Popeye]

Just'a slight thread drift, but;

If a particular evil Drug was sold illegally, and hundreds of 'users', 'tryers' died as a result of taking the Drug! would it be considered a Crime? or would the 'users' and 'tryers' have died of self inflicted Recreational misadventure? Like Sky Diving or Mountain Climbing?

Also, with the certain loss in customer base, for the Drug pushers, would the Drug pushers suffer financially?

 

[ribrage]

To late

And compulsory sterilisation for those lacking compassion, insight, tolerance and imagination.

Of course you are right, Hitler was such a nice fellow

 

[ribrage]

What a shame Venezuela is so far - some bright entrepreneur could smuggle in petrol/diesel. Win/win from the perspective of Joe Public - you don't have to risk your health and can cut out the fat-cat in the middle! (Sorry make that 'fat cats' - HM Govt as well as Oil Co ) I wonder if the smuggler would have fallen on his sword for a few gallons of fuel or liquor...?

Hey leave oil and gas out of this

 

[MASH]

What a shame Venezuela is so far - some bright entrepreneur could smuggle in petrol/diesel.

Why look so far away as Venezuela?

Smuggle red diesel into Belgium. Same principle applies!

 

[rbcoomer]

Why look so far away as Venezuela?

Smuggle red diesel into Belgium. Same principle applies!

True, but I think the former is about 15p/l - probably a better markup even allowing for distance... Probably a longer sentence however as you'd be steeling revenue from the government and that's a much higher priority than mere lives isn't it? (At least going by the penalties for death by dangerous driving vs no RFL.)

As far as the coke is concerned, I think more of that goes to celebs and overpaid rich kids than the man in the street. As they have little excuse for descent into drug dependance, I've much less sympathy for them than the feckless heroin addicts littering the streets/underworld who have far fewer options. Not saying I sympathise with the smuggler either, but without knowing the circumstances wouldn't care to judge...

 

[GHA]

But then I don't choose to sail or socialise with blatant drug users..

Sounds lonely.

No coffee in the morning and no glass of wine in the evening, must rule out a lot of crew.

 

[Manuel_Hung]

Sometimes I wonder what uproar there'd be if someone invented alcohol now and tried to sell it on street corners...

Without doubt, it would be a class A drug. Many drug users find it hard to believe that our society is fine with alcohol, but is not ok with cannabis or ecstasy. They are much softer drugs by comparison.

 

[Babylon]

Without doubt, it would be a class A drug. Many drug users find it hard to believe that our society is fine with alcohol, but is not ok with cannabis or ecstasy. They are much softer drugs by comparison.

I can't speak for ecstacy, but there's nothing 'soft' about cannabis, certainly the supercharged weed that is the norm these days, and to assert otherwise is irresponsible. I've known an awful lot of otherwise capable, intelligent people whose lives have gone nowhere except to their next toke.

More worryingly, when I worked for MIND, I typed up too many reports of young people whose first experience of cannabis triggered severe and intractable schizophrenia.

Nice one, eh?

 

[Biggles Wader]

I can't speak for ecstacy, but there's nothing 'soft' about cannabis, certainly the supercharged weed that is the norm these days, and to assert otherwise is irresponsible. I've known an awful lot of otherwise capable, intelligent people whose lives have gone nowhere except to their next toke.

More worryingly, when I worked for MIND, I typed up too many reports of young people whose first experience of cannabis triggered severe and intractable schizophrenia.

Nice one, eh?

That may well be the case,but it pales when compared to the damage wreaked every day by alcohol.We are all aware of the anti social behaviour but its also worth considering the liver damage and dementure that long term drinking causes,not to mention the ulcers and cancers.

 

[Babylon]

Dementia? Denture? Cancer?

God, I'm thirsty!

 

[Biggles Wader]

Dementia? Denture? Cancer?

God, I'm thirsty!

First to spot the drunken spelling mistake.Must stick to skunk in future.

 

[Manuel_Hung]

More worryingly, when I worked for MIND, I typed up too many reports of young people whose first experience of cannabis triggered severe and intractable schizophrenia.

And how many schizophrenia cases are caused by alcohol, by comparison? I said that cannabis was a far softer drug than alcohol... You've only bolstered my argument by adding in mental health issues.

 

[Tomahawk]

And how many schizophrenia cases are caused by alcohol, by comparison? I said that cannabis was a far softer drug than alcohol... You've only bolstered my argument by adding in mental health issues.

Can I beg to differ there..
As said elsewhere on this forum, I am a marmite eating fruitcake with manic depression... I sometime self medicate with booze... (even though I know it does not actually help).... However, I have never had any experience of schizophrenia from drinking..