Mail trouble

[nopockets]

Let's say SWIM ordered a peyote button from an overseas vendor. He knew it was illegal to import, but decided to take the chance (Big mistake, he knows). He is now incredibly paranoid about the whole thing. His question would be: If the package were to be intercepted, would our friendly U.S. government deem it smuggling and prosecute, or just destroy the package so SWIM would never recieve it? SWIM researched the law, but is unsure as to how to interpret it.

[radiometer]

SWIN should keep their house spotlessly clean of anything illegal until they receive either 1) the goods, 2) a seizure notice or 3) a knock on the door. The law is clear - it is illegal to import peyote.

[Solidly-here]

Nopockets "screwed up" . . . and wonders what the Future holds: "If the package [of Peyote Buttons] were to be intercepted, would our friendly U.S. government deem it smuggling and prosecute, or just destroy the package so SWIM would never receive it?"

Well, this is NOT quite as Bad as it seems.

First, just because something is addressed to you, does not mean that you ordered it. In order to prove a smuggling case, the government would have to prove that you, in fact, ordered it.

So, let's pretend a person knocks on your door. After greeting this DEA agent, he asks you: "Oh, by the way, did you happen to order any Peyote Buttons recently?" The correct answer to this question is: "NO!" (Of course, I am NOT suggesting that you lie about it, this is a hypothetical situation.)

This procedure works, because a vindictive ex-Wife (or other person without your best interests at heart) COULD have ordered it in your name, just to mess you up.

Second, when the amount of contraband is small, the usual Customs procedure is to confiscate it, and mail you a card, telling you that they intercepted "something" and have determined that it was illegal. Most of the time, this will be the only thing you will hear about it.

Third, and most important: You will probably just receive your parcel in the Mail. The odds of Customs "catching" this parcel are pretty small. Any company that is shipping Peyote to the States knows how to package it so that it does not draw too much attention from Customs.

That being said, listen to Radiometer. Clean-up your house (after all, it's almost time for Spring cleaning anyway). If you happen to have a couple pounds of Pot, just bury it in your backyard, because even if the DEA came to you, with Search Warrant in hand, they can only search inside your house.

Reputation Comments on this post:

another good post from one of the board's most helpful members

[old hippie 56]

Having friends that order stuff from abroad, usually the worst is the dreaded green tape(seized contents but allowed mail to be delivered)

[Nagognog2]

There is another possibility: The business that SWIM may have ordered from never sent the alleged peyote button. In my travels around the web, most places that sell such state that they will not ship peyote, or other materials Big Brother considers vile and evil, to the USA. Some state this very clearly and in BIG BOLD LETTERS. Others in small letters buried in their text. So I would revisit the site (or magazine etc.) and scrutinize it for their policy. I would be surprised if a company would blatantly disregard a well-known US law and ship such to the US. It's bad for business to have your customers thrown in jail.

Reputation Comments on this post:

good point nago