How many bags (full of weed) would you like to check in?

85 arrests in drug smuggling between California and Florida in used checked bags on commercial flights

The country and drug law enforcement are in shock after a brazen drug operation in California. That failed operation arrested 85 people trying to smuggle drugs on commercial flights from California to Florida. This isn’t the first such case across the country, but there are a number of factors that make this particular arrest interesting. Read on as we look at the details of the arrests and the extent of the crimes committed by those arrested.

The incident, which occurred last week, was reported by Polk County Florida Sheriff Grady Judd. He gave a press conference on August 19 where he shared the details of the bust. The press conference confirmed that 85 people had been arrested attempting to smuggle drugs from California to Florida via commercial flights. After the arrests, law enforcement also confiscated the products the perpetrators intended to smuggle into Florida. The drugs seized are worth millions of dollars, and the sheriff said the perpetrators were trying to move them across the country from coast to coast.

The case against the 85 people arrested will be a monumental one, with multiple felonies and misdemeanors at their feet. As such, the Winter Haven, Fla. perpetrators face a total of 355 felonies and 93 misdemeanors. With a number of cases already in the works for some in this area, it’s certainly a huge win for drug law enforcement. Drugs seized from the bust include oxycodone, Xanax, fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana. The street value of these seized drugs is approximately $12.8 million. $235,000 in cash and weapons were also confiscated.

It is clear that the blown operation is the work of an organized crime syndicate. Sheriff Judd said it was the largest wiretap investigation in Polk County. He further stated that the group’s activities could not be considered non-violent or low-level. That’s because the sheer volume of drugs these groups are selling is enormous and will ultimately end up in the hands of children. Likewise, the products will increase moral decadence within communities in both peddlers and users.

Though this incident is the largest in Polk County, it’s a far cry from what the country is facing in its war on drugs. The illicit narcotics market created by the opioid epidemic still exists and is far from completely eradicated. As long as there are vendors making these drugs available in this way, there will always be demand. This means that despite strong efforts by powerful agencies to root out the market, the market is still going strong. It is therefore of the utmost importance that drug law enforcement agencies work on both ends to ensure that they put an end to activities that are causing harmful effects on society.

The result of the press conference shows that this successful bankruptcy is the result of a conscious investigation by concerned authorities. It is expected that such heroic deeds will spur them on to redouble their efforts for the cause. Likewise, it is expected to have a ripple effect that will trickle down to all manner of law enforcement agencies as they try to win the war on drugs.

The perpetrators of all indications have been on this hunt for quite some time. This is because, according to the sheriff, they saw no reason to use other materials to stuff the luggage used to carry the drugs. The arrests took place between Los Angeles and Orlando over a period of 2 years. In one particular arrest, a perpetrator was seen with six bags filled with nothing but drugs. This level of confidence and the persistence of the offense demonstrates that drug law enforcement agencies need to work at the source of these products. Only then can they be sure that such activity on commercial flights will be halted and coast-to-coast distribution hampered.

The presence of marijuana among the drugs seized is also striking. It’s not news that marijuana is legal in most states in the US, although it’s still considered illegal by the federal government. The existence of legal retail cannabis dispensaries has reduced the impact of gray markets in many states, but states with prohibition laws are still served by these markets. This is one of the reasons some drug dealers still sell marijuana through these channels. Although even legal states also operate illegal markets as they try to compete based on price differences and availability. Nonetheless, demand from states with no legal markets spurs these traders on.

The impact of legal marijuana can be seen in legal states, as rates of abuse and illegal markets are known to be declining. This is because the stereotype about cannabis users is gradually changing and people are conveniently buying their product publicly without getting in trouble with the law. Likewise, the unique effects of different cannabis strains mean that more people are opening up to different sensations with different products. This tends to limit demand for other illicit drugs with strong dependency and withdrawal problems, such as fentanyl, oxycodone, and cocaine.

That’s not to say that legal marijuana markets are a surefire way to contain incidents like the one being considered today. Still, it’s obvious that it will greatly reduce that activity, and that’s about all we can hope for as of today.

FLYING WITH WEED, READ MORE…

FLYING WITH MARIJUANA – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY!