Six Britons held as international drugs ring smashed...

[sn00py]

By Ananova

Police have smashed a major international cannabis smuggling ring based in Seville, arresting 26 people in Britain, Spain and Italy.

Authorities rounded up the people suspected of running the operation - six Britons, one Italian and 19 Spaniards - in their respective countries.

Spanish civil guard spokesman Rafael Perez says they also seized almost four tons of hashish prepared for shipment to cities in Europe.

The investigation was launched about 18 months ago after the civil guard found cannabis in false bottoms of wooden boxes due to be sent to Manchester.

From Seville, the group directed distribution of cannabis to Italy, Britain and the Netherlands and in the last two years the ring may have sent up to 200 tons of the drug to those countries, Mr Perez said.

The traffickers are also suspected of laundering more than £7.5 million with purchases of property and vehicles.

They used drug proceeds to set up a transport company, acquiring 86 trucks and 80 tractor units.

Mr Perez added that the ring had its own factory with industrial equipment to make false bottoms in furniture, marble blocks, cigarette machines and safes.

Copyright Ananova 2002 all rights reserved

27/08/02 23:36


Always bad to hear of a bust ...

[ludivicomethod]

Actually, it's always good to hear of a bust. These guys don't care whether it's cannabis, heroin, or human flesh, they are drug dealers, in it for the money. If it was a guy selling some weed to a friend for no profit, then it's cool. But if you are the guys who transport tons of hash and have to buy tractor-trailers, then you're a bad guy, and prolly kills people on a regular basis.

[sn00py]

Originally posted by ludivicomethod
Actually, it's always good to hear of a bust. These guys don't care whether it's cannabis, heroin, or human flesh, they are drug dealers, in it for the money. If it was a guy selling some weed to a friend for no profit, then it's cool. But if you are the guys who transport tons of hash and have to buy tractor-trailers, then you're a bad guy, and prolly kills people on a regular basis.

Hmmm... Thinking thats a little bit of a generlization there ludivicomethod, the fact of the matter is, YOU have and probably will sm0ke the stuff that is imported by people like this, unless you either buy ALL your weed of someone you know who grows it, or you grow it yourself. The root cause of all the problems we see today is prohibition - dont automatically blame the dealers, they are just filling a gap in the market that would have been filled by someone else.
Although I'm sure that there ARE a massive amount of deaths caused by dealers, the generalization that the bigtime hash / skunk importer / smuggler is a killer is totally wrong.. Have you heard of a man called Mr Nice? (Howard Marks) .. He was THE largest hash smuggler in his day, he was reguraly smuggling tonnes and tonnes into the US and Europe, he didnt kill a soul.. His books are also pretty good, well worth a read.. I suggest you checkout Mr Nice so you can see things from a less distorted point of view.

Peace

~S~

[ludivicomethod]

Yeah, thanks for the insight. I'm always open-minded, but the money and the profit and the fat cats. I just hate the concept of consumerism and profit. I will check out his writing.

[Che Guevara]

Mr Nice is a genious, and he's now with a seedbank in holland (i think) producing world class seeds. He was a dope dealer but is one of the coolest people ever to have lived.

[Wavy Gravy]

Two Words : Fuck Capitalism