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Rogue pilots trafficked a billion dollars in cartel drugs across US while no one watched
Robert Carlson, a California businessman who dreamed of becoming the cocaine king of the skies, used private jets for three years to funnel a billion dollars worth of cartel drugs through smaller airports across the country — exploiting a security blind spot. He did it over and over again, profiting off a rarely policed mode of transportation. And when he was finally busted in 2017 in Lexington, Kentucky, it wasn't because of the X-ray scanner or drug-sniffing dog. That level of security at… (www.yahoo.com) المزيد...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
Although General Aviation airplanes can be used for illicit drug-running, I find it reprehensible that Mr. Martinson can make such an irresponsible comment as, "There’s a good chance it could be illicit narcotics” when referring to all GA aircraft and pilots. Would you say all doctors are drug pushers because some doctors write false prescriptions or over prescribe narcotics? Are all marinas and boaters mere pawns on the drug-running cartels’ chessboards. I think not. Why then is Mr. Martinson’s generalization about general aviation fit to be in print? To me, a GA pilot who uses his aircraft for transportation to visit distant family and for personal enjoyment, they are another indication of how out of touch with its citizens our Government and its agents are. While Mr. Martinson is entitled to his own opinion in this context he should have kept his ignorance hidden and out of public eye.
Equally irritating is the author's characterization of GA fliers as "the jet set" and "elite travelers." Jeepers criminey, it's not all movie stars on Learjets and Gulfstreams. Talk about perpetuating a stereotype...
It's just another fear mongering click bait article designed to get people riled up, in order to justify even more government intrusion in the name of "safety". Regardless of political faction the government's primary mission is always to ensure its own sustainability. It will keep reaching and reaching until someone (the people) puts a stop to it.
Exactly my thought on his statement about the 'good chance.' I can tell you that is a crock because I worked with Homeland Security on smuggling by aircraft and although it was popular in Florida and other locations, to say there is a good chance is a vast overstatement.
Security exists at airports with airline traffic to prevent hijackings, not to search for drugs. Small airports serve general aviation and do not have this because small jets or prop planes are rarely hijacked, and if so are not crashed into skyscrapers. And even if a small plane hits a large building by accident or intentionally, its not going to bring it down with the loss of 1000's of lives.
Millions of cars, trucks, & buses are on the road every day, any one which can have drugs on board. Without probable cause or a warrant these vehicles are not searched. Why should small planes be singled out for warrantless searches? Why should every small airport have commercial airport security? We don't search drivers every time they get into their car or ask where they are going.
Millions of cars, trucks, & buses are on the road every day, any one which can have drugs on board. Without probable cause or a warrant these vehicles are not searched. Why should small planes be singled out for warrantless searches? Why should every small airport have commercial airport security? We don't search drivers every time they get into their car or ask where they are going.
How many lives are lost every year to drugs? We lost 3,000 on that one fateful day in 2001. We lost 64,000 people to drugs in 2016 alone. https://drugwarfacts.org/chapter/causes_of_death
And that doesn't count the other destroyed lives from drug addiction and the crime accompanying the illegal drug trade.
One small private plane operating year-round doesn't need to crash into a skyscraper to exact a heavy toll.
And that doesn't count the other destroyed lives from drug addiction and the crime accompanying the illegal drug trade.
One small private plane operating year-round doesn't need to crash into a skyscraper to exact a heavy toll.
The difference is that 9/11 killed innocent people while drug deaths are the people using drugs or trafficking and the subsequent violence. At the end of the day law will never be able to stop drug usage, but through educational programs and legalization we could at least reduce the deaths due to trafficking. Take the crime out of the drug game and just make it as legal as alcohol and cigarettes which ALSO exact a heavy death toll each year. Humans want drugs, why do some people ignore this?
You could pack as much, if not more, into a van or pickup a lot more cheaply than it would cost to fly a jet cross country. A small used private jet will cost around $1 million to buy. Operating costs (maintenance, fuel, pilots, insurance, etc) will easily be $1000 or more per hour. Round trip coast to central US will run a minimum of 5 hours, more if you’re in a slower aircraft or make multiple drop offs and pickups. Top that off with needing to find pilots stupid enough to risk their careers for that kind of operation and hiring a couple of numbskulls to drive a car, truck, or van cross country starts to make a whole lot more sense. The story just doesn’t carry weight beyond click bait status.
But remember, time is money.
a road trip from Laredo to Minneapolis is showing about 20h. Flight time is just under 5h.
not to mention the risk level. 20h on the road, you have 1400 miles for any number of traffic stops. plus, what's to stop those numbskulls stopping in oklahoma and selling off the product to someone else, and skipping away to never be heard from again?
i imagine there are large risk calculations done and prices are adjusted accordingly. They want to make sure their product gets delivered, cost is a secondary factor.
a road trip from Laredo to Minneapolis is showing about 20h. Flight time is just under 5h.
not to mention the risk level. 20h on the road, you have 1400 miles for any number of traffic stops. plus, what's to stop those numbskulls stopping in oklahoma and selling off the product to someone else, and skipping away to never be heard from again?
i imagine there are large risk calculations done and prices are adjusted accordingly. They want to make sure their product gets delivered, cost is a secondary factor.
You still have to find a crew willing to jeopardize their livelihood for such an endeavor. A lot of time and money goes into getting to the point of being a corporate pilot. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to notice that the cargo is suspicious, especially since pilots are generally loading the plane themselves. If baggage routinely doesn’t match the passenger count and supposed mission, it would be awfully suspicious, and there aren’t many cargo loads that would warrant routine transport aboard a private aircraft. Most pilots that I know would not stick around in that kind of high risk operation, and an anonymous tip would likely find its way to the authorities.