How to verify a new boat is "chemically (drugs) clean"

[GaryMayo]

It is already too late. HS, TSA, and all points up stream and down, In the big brother age, reads all pertinent public postings, and your question could be seen as a way to illicit advice on how to drive around checkpoints. 1984 came late, but it came on stronger than feared.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Insequent

Concerned yes, paranoid no. Some place in SE Asia have the death penalty, even for relatively small quantities of drugs.

+1. some places don't mess about. of course just makes the business more profitable, more violent and more unstable.

On me honeymoon we visited one of my (new!) cousins in Prison - was waiting to find out if she was getting hung or 200 years.

Me Missus was very sad about it , as she said: "20 kilo? - small" .


...............I think her grandad had a sailing boat in Canada .

[Bluewaters2812]

I don't think I am going to cross the road today ... I might get run over.

[bgallinger]

JD1, I have crossed from the US into Canada and Canada into the US dozens and dozens of times over the years and my boat or plane has never been searched once. That's not to say it won't ever happen of course. I have also been boarded by the USCG several times. The officers are pleasant and complete their task efficiently but the boat was never searched. Relax!

[capngeo]

Private Drug Detection Dogs

Pick Your Choice of Providers

[Mr B]

Coming into Bundaberg, I had the full assortment of Customs, AQIS, Immigration on board,

They went through my boat with a fine tooth comb, But it wasnt drugs they were after, It was Bugs, Termites, Etc. I came up clean after a good going over with an electronic thingo that could hear the termites in the woodwork,

The drug boat was being watched near mine, It sailed in about the same time as me, It had come from South America with heaps of drugs hidden in the Bilges, They were waiting for the Aussie contacts before they arrested the whole group, about a week after it got here,

The people searching my boat were very pleasant about the whole thing,

[JazzyO]

Originally Posted by bgallinger

Relax!

+1. The likelihood of your boat having been used in a drug run is one in many thousands. Then, the likelihood, even if it had been, is that there are no drugs to be found in anything more than trace amounts. On top of that, the likelihood of being searched is quite small. All in all, the chances of getting locked up seem a lot lower than winning the lottery.

And if you're worried about crew - then who the heck are you inviting onto your boat?

But of course, if you're so worried about it, the question needs to be asked: why don't you go and search your own boat before the cops do?


Onno

[Blue Stocking]

[QUOTE=Pelagic;1087911]Being proactive is commendable but there can be a double edged sword in today’s world of electronic intelligence. The inspection may only be noted as a “drug search”, which is then tied to your yachts name and registry and could haunt you at every crossing.



Exactly!--see post #4

[Aethelwulffe]

I recommend opening all the tank inspection ports, then sinking the boat for a few months. Bring her up, keep some barneys here and there as ornamentation, and you have just gotten a free pratique.
You can also administer this method with any crew members you do not feel trustworthy.
I recall some gentlemen renting a bareboat out of Key West. They wanted to make sure they were prepared for customs inspection well ahead of time upon return from Tacuba. They stripped and prepared themselves for body cavity search. The customs inspection turned out to be pretty cursory, amounting to a quick peek into the companionway through sunglasses.

Serious Mode On:
If you want REAL advice, don't ask the squares. Ask a Gulf Shrimp Boat captain.

[roverhi]

The 'Man' works primarily off of informants when it comes to invasive searches. They just don't have the time or the man/dog power to do a thorough search of every boat out there. Unless your boat was involved in or owned by a noted drug smuggler, the 'Man' is only going to do random searches so you'll be unlucky just to get inspected and the inspection will be cursory unless you give the inspector reason to be more curious.

As far as crew and their possessions, all you can do is try and find out as much about them as possible and make it clear that no drugs will be tolerated. If you are really concerned, there are services on the net to do public record searches to turn up any past transgressions. Best thing is to have a boat that you can handle by yourself and/or your S.O. and not have to worry about a crew.

[hellosailor]

jd, since you haven't been able to find the existing online threads asking the same question many times before, I suspect you wouldn't be successful doing a drug search of your boat.

In practical terms all you can do is give it a thorough cleaning. Learn what a "white glove" inspection is, and clean till you can pass it. Then don't worry about your boat, but never touch a $20 US bill, because according to some tests perhaps 50-80% of them have also been contaminated with cocaine.