Checking for Drugs

[DeepFrz]

I'm sure there are private organizations that will check your boat out for you.

[Fishman_Tx]

Originally Posted by gettinthere

YIKES!

Now I need ATF as well as DEA to inspect my boat!

Actually, I hope that anything as big as a gun I would have found by now. I have been all over the boat. It's something small like a nickle bag that concerns me.

LOL It seems that if you could recognize a "nickle bag" the papers must have been EZ-Wider or ZigZag rather than Top, Prince Albert, or Airplane.

[Chipg]

Just to make you guys more paranoid drugs and a weapon (combined) is grounds for 20+ years, even longer in other countries. Gravity increases considerably when the two are combined.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by gettinthere

So, can I get a 'courtesy' inspection? Without liability?

I have no idea.

But even if you can it would be worthless if your freindly inspection failed to find the PO's stash - if not worse! As any later inspection that discovered a stash would discount the previous inspection - or use it as "proof" that the stash must be yours! (the boat was clean ).


Given you know your boat and the hidden places that could be used a million percent better than any (non-destructive) inspection law enforcement may do - I would settle on a weekend with a torch and a mirror and thinking to yourself........."Where would I? ".

The only benefit I can see over and above your own inspection efforts would be................a sniffer dog. I dunno if in your part of the world they are used by private contractors, I can't think why they would - unless moonlighting, to the dark side

I would be more worried that trying to arrange a once over with law enforcement (unless freinds / family) could be interpreted as you trying to be clever by checking your stash was well hidden before going international (Criminals do do dumb stuff ). I would want to avoid getting on any list as a vessel / person of interest - in some parts of the world enough to be detained whilst matters are looked into, especially a list that originates from the US.

Papers alone? my bet is on Tobacco roll-ups. But even if not the odds are on none left onboard or if you can't find it then no one can.

Have you thought about contacting the PO?

[zeehag]

mebbe the po's stash as it were was goood old tobacky!!! LOL...happens, ye know--more often that the alternative, btw......

[hellosailor]

"I think you're going over the top a bit, yes, traces may be found, but to impound the boat they would have to find an actual quantity of it.. "
When the USCG was first given their mission of busting drugs, in the "zero tolerance days" YES INDEED ONE SEED was cause for a boat to be torn apart and arrests made, and there were a number of vocal protests made about that. Nowadays, in most of the US, the courts usually will say "Hey, one old seed, one old vehicle...no probable cause, case dismissed" and both the DA and the PD know better than to make a fuss over one seed.
Of course, there's always the Bubba to the rule, in or out of the US.

Considering budgets and priorities in the US these days, I don't think anyone with a sniffing dog would consider--much less be allowed--to "expend resources" doing a search for anyone as a favor. Which means you probably will have to do a drug search of the vessel yourself, tear into all the odd places. Might as well make that an excuse for cleaning, painting, and stripping things out stem to stern while you're at it. And leave a mess of cayenne powder in the odd cracks, there's no dog in the world that's gonna want to sniff that twice.

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by RedBellies

. . . Osiris if you live in a place where the local PD would rather pin medals on each other than do the job they are paid to do, perhaps you should consider moving. I did.

So did I. It was almost comical as the whole local police department has been arrested and put in jail by the State Police twice over 10 years. Small towns gone bad, stay bad it seems.
- - By the way "bleach" does nothing but change the color of the walls, etc., you have to use "ammonia and soapy water" according to my DEA friend. And he was willing to bring a dog as a personal favor - for field training purposes.
- - According to BoatUS that got into the fray a decade or two ago when the USCG was literally ripping out interiors and core drilling hulls in the zeal for "zero tolerance" - the maximum Federal liability for damages during a search that found nothing was US$2000. BoatUS insurance division was eating tens of thousands of dollars of losses on each boat and was rather pissed about the situation. But it did not stop until the USCG boarded and ripped apart another boat that had a US Senator on board - bad mistake. The Senator went back to Washington and managed to get the USCG budget "zero'd out" unless the Commandant was replaced. The next Commandant revised the program to be more "user friendly" and polite along with a huge PR project to try and restore the USCG reputation with the boating public.

[gettinthere]

Sorry for not being clear, my 'courtesy inspection' would have to be with a dope dog. Not letting cops aboard to just start pulling apart cabinetry. I can do that myself.
I have permanent floorboards where a bag could easily roll under and be extremely difficult to see but a dog could sniff it.

If a dog doesn't sniff it now, I'll feel reasonably confident a dog won't sniff it 5 years from now.

[agrainofsand]

I think it might be hard to sail Through Arizona

[Bash]

advice:

1. Stay out of Dubai.
2. Stay out of Onan.
3. Stay out of Arizona.

[hellosailor]

Police malfeasance/misfeasance is nothing new. In NYC the entire NYC police department (the "metropolitans") was disbanded after they failed to turn out and stop lynchings and race riots in 1863. Units of the NYS Militia were recalled immediately after the battle of Gettysburg for domestic duty in NYC, and the current NYPD was formed to take over.

Curiously enough, this is reported by civil war era historians but omitted from the NYPD official histories on the web.

Then there's the LAPD's long history....

Chorus: "But it can't happen HERE"

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by gettinthere

I have permanent floorboards where a bag could easily roll under and be extremely difficult to see but a dog could sniff it.

Why not try one of these? - even if need to drill the odd access hole.

This one seems to have video, as we may have a few experts here you could post some Youtube of any dodgy looking items discovered, for identification . and possibly a market valuation

"The Seeker" 300 Digital Video Borescope System with 3.5" Display, Video Inspection System - General Tools & Instruments

If a dog doesn't sniff it now, I'll feel reasonably confident a dog won't sniff it 5 years from now.

Unless it is in a sealed bag that either degrades or snags on a nail next year

[lorenzo b]

what always happened to me is I would forget where I put various stashes and never find them again. There's enough rocket fuel littered around my cabin in Maine to light up a herd of elephants.

[RedBellies]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Police malfeasance/misfeasance is nothing new. In NYC the entire NYC police department (the "metropolitans") was disbanded after they failed to turn out and stop lynchings and race riots in 1863. Units of the NYS Militia were recalled immediately after the battle of Gettysburg for domestic duty in NYC, and the current NYPD was formed to take over.

Actually the riots were mostly over conscription into the Union Army and the related incidents were well documented in Herbert Asbury's 1928 book "Gangs Of New York" later made into a movie of the same name directed by Martin Scorcese. But yes, power corrupts. Not everyone, but enough to matter.

[hellosailor]

RedBellies-
Most mass rioting is not really "simple". In 1863, most of the lynchings were OF Negroes (which was the word at the time) by Whites. Call it what you will, they weren't peaceful times, and the "coppers" literally refused to leave their station houses to take any action about it.
That the new PD pretends it didn't happen, is arguably an even worse offense. And the derogatory spin put on the word "Militia" these days...History repeating itself, huh?