May 31, 2007
Snapshots: $335.9 Million Worth of Cocaine, Marijuana, and Methamphetamines
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Texas state troopers at the Department of Public Safety (DPS) proudly announced yesterday that they managed to seize a record number of drugs in 2006. All told, an estimated $335.9 million worth of drugs were confiscated during routine traffic stops. Most of the loot, as you can see in the slideshow above, was as cleverly hidden as possible, often stashed in tar machines, wrapped around tires, or stored in the axles of pickup trucks. Secret compartments are no match for the DPS, it would seem.
"Our troopers lead the nation in drug seizures on a yearly basis, but now they have set a new standard of excellence—new DPS records for cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine seizures," said Col. Thomas Davis Jr., director of the DPS. "Taking more than 100,000 pounds of drugs off the streets and arresting 1,975 drug smugglers is good news for Texas."
Just how many drugs might $335.9 million get you at retail prices? By the numbers:
- 5,986 pounds of cocaine
- 95,653 pounds of marijuana
- 267 pounds of methamphetamines
Photos and captions provided by Texas Department of Safety
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So either they're getting that much better at finding the drugs that people so cleverly hide or drug traffic has grown that much more. Either way you cut it (no pun intended) it reflects poorly on them, like a spy agency finding a mole. Why didn't you find it sooner? If the trade has grown that much then obviously you're not doing enough to curtail both the trade and demand. Why should I be interested in the dollar value? Are they going to sell it and pay for fixing our schools? Or perhaps to pay for rehabilitation programs? Now that would be ironic.
so seriously, what do they do with seized drugs like these? smoke 'em themselves? "dispose" of them? maybe we should pay for this ridiculous war with drug money...
The cocaine and meth are of course very bad things, but what exactly makes the confiscation of pot "good news for Texas?"
Could also be that the street value has been greatly increased due to inflation/gas prices/the war on drugs. A more conclusive "trophy" for them to wave in the air heroically would be by weight/year in each class of drugs because rudimentary economics tells us that the price goes up every year; as it also does each time you remove some of the supply.
The coast guard just made a record cocaine bust
www.enewsbuilder.net/texasbroadcasters/e_article000827148.cfm?x=b11,0,w
Check out the DEA photo gallery
www.usdoj.gov/dea/photo_library1.html
267 pounds of meth doesn't seem like very much... I guess most of it is still made inside the US.
(or maybe it's just more difficult to detect)
How much made it through? How do they know the dollar value? Drugs prices are drastically different around the United States.
Unlike gas the cost of drugs has not changed much. I am sure they are proud of their bust but it has had little effect on the street.
I would think the meth bust will be much higher next year considering a majority of it is beggining to come from Mexico.
Cocaine appears to be making quite a comeback. Every time I go to the restroom at a bar there is always a line for the stall but not the urinal???
I'm glad my parents weren't TX state troopers. I would have been screwed when I was in high school.
"Our troopers lead the nation in drug seizures on a yearly basis, but now they have set a new standard of excellence"
Because there is no other real crime to worry about or anything?
Drugs are bad, drug laws worse. Prohibition has never worked and never will work. The drugs wouldn't have any signficant "street value" and people wouldn't be getting killed over this stuff if it were all legal.
We are spending way too much on interdiction, incarceration for something which is just a matter of personal choice to use drugs. I am responsible for the consequences of my choices and as far as I can tell my taking or not taking drugs does nothing to infringe on your similar rights.
They seized 96,000 lbs of marijuana, and still, I don't know anyone who has trouble finding their own stash.
The drug war is more proof that our elected officials are a band of contemptible robots.
Anyone who thinks that the government (and Wall Street) aren't make a huge profit on the illegal drug trade isn't paying attention or is in denial.
Read "Crossing the Rubicon".