NEWS: FBI Nabs Troops, Officers in Drug Sting

Sixteen current and former law enforcement and military personnel were arrested on bribery and corruption conspiracy charges. All face penalties of up to five years in prison and hefty fines. The arrests came as a result of a three and half year investigation into a coc aine smuggling operation.



The issue here is much more than drug smuggling. The implications for border security and terrorism should be enough to scare any rational American. If these individuals would accept bribes to turn a blind eye to drugs entering he country, they would do the same thing when it comes to humans. It seems to me that the punishments listed in the article are way too lenient.

Good article Grady. I agree with you on all counts, this should trouble Americans, and the sentences are too light under current precedent.

There is an enormous amount of favoritism constantly displayed, where officers of the law and military personell get away with the most heinous crimes, and face only minor disciplinary action, like fines and probation.

A civilian caught committing the same crime could face 25 years for smuggling, racketeering, tax evasion, and more. These guys are getting off on probabtion, practically guaranteed. That stinks.

Now, that being said, I think drug laws are counterproductive, anti-human as opposed to anti-crime, and they take a huge toll on this country's bottom line every year. The war against drugs is not only perpetual and unwinnable, it's an egregious abuse of human rights when you look at the nature of the crimes. People ought to be allowed to put anything they want in their body, be it exotic food, hashish, or drano. Their bodies doesn't belong to the federal or state government, and these laws say exactly that; we own you. It's wrong, and it's got to stop.

the problem here is evident...

the rampant drug smuggling business is getting caught up in the terrorist watch business...

since drugs are one of the biggest businesses in america, it is no wonder that the smugglers have persisted in finding ways to get the product to the american markets...

they will continue to do so... there is nothing we can do... even if we strung a human boundary across the entire mexican border, they would still have enough money to influence a group of border patrols to "part the way"

money talks, and no one is immune it is just a matter of the price...
(after all.. it is just drugs... "everyone does them" and that $10,000 would buy a nice boat)...

we can only hope that no amount of money would convince a border guard to allow a possible terrorist to enter the country. drugs are bad, but the blood on the hands is invisible...
whereas with a terrorist, the blood stands out like macbeth...

that's how a lot of weapons end up disappearing..been a problem for years. Stoners who will do anything at all to get their fix, who will sell out their comrades, over such "non-addicting" substances as marijuana as well. I've known guys to trade C-4, an M-14 receiver, and grenades for dope. All from around friendly Ft. Lewis, WA. Home of the DC Sniper and that "chaplain" with the "accidental" listing of taliban prisoners in his pocket at Getmo.

There are lots of sick stupid, dangerous things done by enlisted men and low level officers, drugs, forced prostitution of female underlings, I was unfortunate to have been in circles where this was blatant in the area. Amazing what you learn working on "adult" chat BBS's around two military bases, in the late 90's.

The worst is, that it took the FBI to do something about it. But that's the "new" military. Politically motivated officers, drug culture kids enlisting, the whole "be ready to die so the press will look away from a politician's crimes" thing. Many of those strongly motivated by honor and service left in disgust with the cutbacks in the 80's, leaving behind those who definitely couldn't get jobs in the private sector.