Drug info - Info about cocaine--how does it get here?

[Ephedrine]

Hi, I apologise for my english because I'm italian. I want to know how cocaine arrives here, by ships, by priests etc. or it is mades in laboratory?

[Benga]

"Here" would be Western Europe right ? Illegal cocaine is smuggled to Europe through sea transport, within cargo for the majority, and through air transport, mostly hidden on / in / individuals also called "mules".
It is not made in laboratories as the synthesis is complicated and also not economically viable, too expensive, and it is much cheaper to import smuggled cocaine.
It can arrive from the main illegal production areas in South America ( Colombia, Bolivia, Peru) through many different routes, and take many paths to avoid interception, African countries like Nigeria or Kenya have recently begun to act as important stop-overs, for added discretion for instance. Or even through Asia or eastern Europe.
But the main points of entry into western Europe are Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and France.
There has been a mini explosion of cocaine in Europe since the post 09/11/2001 North American interior security reinforcement of borders and surveillance, which led quite a few South American cartels to redirect exports towards Western Europe, and marginally towards Asia.

b

[Ephedrine]

Originally Posted by Benga

"Here" would be Western Europe right ? Illegal cocaine is smuggled to Europe through sea transport, within cargo for the majority, and through air transport, mostly hidden on / in / individuals also called "mules".
It is not made in laboratories as the synthesis is complicated and also not economically viable, too expensive, and it is much cheaper to import smuggled cocaine.
It can arrive from the main illegal production areas in South America ( Colombia, Bolivia, Peru) through many different routes, and take many paths to avoid interception, African countries like Nigeria or Kenya have recently begun to act as important stop-overs, for added discretion for instance. Or even through Asia or eastern Europe.
But the main points of entry into western Europe are Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and France.
There has been a mini explosion of cocaine in Europe since the post 09/11/2001 North American interior security reinforcement of borders and surveillance, which led quite a few South American cartels to redirect exports towards Western Europe, and marginally towards Asia.

b

Hi, I tried cocaine few times, I live in a city near Naples and I ask how cocaine arrives in naples.

[Benga]

please read the rules, self incrimination is not allowed here.

In Naples, just check with you local camorra advisor
more seriously, even though commerce is probably mafia related, it is unlikely that it comes in through the inner mediterranean, which is far too controlled of a pond. Most likely from neighbouring countries. The main points of entry, appart from airports, are still the harbours / coasts of Spain, Portugal, France and the Netherlands. Though some routes have been opened through eastern europe, and Maghreb, that are not developped.
If Lebanon blows up again it might be by used again, but again the inner mediterranean is too easily controlled. Most of the smuggled cocaine takes land routes once it has entered western europe.


b

[Ephedrine]

Originally Posted by Benga

please read the rules, self incrimination is not allowed here.

In Naples, just check with you local camorra advisor
more seriously, even though commerce is probably mafia related, it is unlikely that it comes in through the inner mediterranean, which is far too controlled of a pond. Most likely from neighbouring countries. The main points of entry, appart from airports, are still the harbours / coasts of Spain, Portugal, France and the Netherlands. Though some routes have been opened through eastern europe, and Maghreb, that are not developped.
If Lebanon blows up again it might be by used again, but again the inner mediterranean is too easily controlled. Most of the smuggled cocaine takes land routes once it has entered western europe.


b

Therefore the cocaine that arrive in our countries comes from ships because it is very difficult to produce it in laboratory?

[epote]

it is not difficult to produce in laboratory, its just impractical.

Assuming we are not talking about completely synthetic cocaine the logistics would be a nighmare. And even if we do talk about synthetic cocaine some raw material relating to the plant are needed if it is to be economically viable, synthesizing from other precursors is just too damn hard)

in any case one kg of cocaine hydrochloride pressed is quite small in size, if one was to exctact it from plantation he would need around 200kg of coca leaves. Have fun transporting those! Its much easier to do the procedure locally and smugle the finished product.

THOUGH, SOME crystal labs HAVE BEEN apprehended in Europe. France, spain even greece, but their production capabilities where not that good.

If you want more info on the trends of cocaine trafficing just download the world report on drugs, its free on the internet, has a hell lot of info

actually here you go:

http://www.unodc.org/pdf/research/wdr07/WDR_2007.pdf

[Benga]

by laboratory i think the OP meant purely synthetic. It's a drug myth commonly used by dealers btw "I only get vegetable- based cocaine, it's more mellow" teehee...
purely synthetic is as you say damn too hard and just not economically viable.

but there are oddities, some years ago an actual cocaine paste / sulphate transforming lab was dismanteled in Paris' 13th district. This is quite unusual, a first in french L.E. history. it was probably linked to the smuggling technique used somehow.

Epote, what do you mean by "crystal labs" ? Methamphetamine ? or are you refering to labs transforming to the hydrochloride from products in intermediate stages as in the example above ?

b

[epote]

no i meant exactly what you say, a cocaine sulfate to cocaine hcl lab.

that is the place where the make the paste or agua rica or whatever to cocaine hcl.

they are referred to as crystal labs in the cocaine handbook and various other sources (even in the UN document).

one was apprehended here in greece as well, but the capacities are o joke compaired to proper shipments

And yeah purely synthetic cocaine...Its not only the reagants and procedure hard to obdain i mean people are synthesizing LSD which is much harder, its the fact that extracting cocaine from leaves is so much easier that it makes synthesizing not competitive.

especially given the fact that most users cannot or will not apreciate pure cocaine and will surely not pay more for it.

(assuming that pure cocaine is actually a better high)

[Benga]

ok, had missed the nickname.

a large shipment of cocaine ( 1400 kilos) was seized this week in the mediterranean, it was an operation organised by the mafia branch Sacra Corona Unita, involving a man from Venezuela close to the actual government, and was intended for distribution to groups in Palermo, Rome and Bari.

here's an article, in french :

----------
LeMonde, 01/29/08
Walter Alexander del Nogal Marquez, un riche homme d'affaires de Caracas connu sous le nom d'Alex del Nogal, réputé proche du pouvoir vénézuélien, attend au centre de rétention pour étrangers de Trapani, en Sicile, d'être expulsé vers Caracas. A moins que le tribunal de Palerme ne décide de le renvoyer en prison, d'où il a été libéré début janvier à la suite d'un "problème de procédure". Recherché depuis des années par la police italienne pour trafic de drogue, il avait été arrêté le 14 septembre 2007 à l'aéroport de Milan.



Cet entrepreneur de 40 ans a aussitôt rejoint Palerme et le banc des accusés d'un procès où comparaissaient huit hommes, dont son frère Richard del Nogal. Ce dernier a été condamné, vendredi 25 janvier, à 15 ans de prison pour avoir tenté en 2001 d'importer 1 400 kilos de cocaïne du Venezuela. Quatre complices ont écopé de 1 à 13 ans de prison. C'est ce jugement qui pourrait changer le sort d'Alex del Nogal, l'enquête ayant démontré qu'il était l'instigateur de l'opération.


ECOUTES TÉLÉPHONIQUES


Selon des écoutes téléphoniques corroborées par deux témoins, la drogue devait être cachée dans une fourgonnette de couleur rouge, elle-même chargée dans un conteneur à bord d'un bateau. La livraison était destinée à trois groupes mafieux de Palerme, Rome et Bari. Selon les déclarations d'un repenti, Massimo Lovreglio, membre de la Sacra Corona Unita, la mafia de la région des Pouilles, qui s'est rendu plusieurs fois chez lui au Venezuela, c'est Alex del Nogal lui-même qui avait remis la clé du conteneur à un Argentin chargé de récupérer la cargaison au port de Palerme. Les révélations du témoin ont contraint l'ambassade du Venezuela à Rome à publier, le 21 septembre 2007, un communiqué démentant qu'Alex del Nogal ait participé au financement de la campagne électorale du président vénézuélien.

Toutefois, le maire de Caracas, Juan Barreto, proche du chef de l'Etat, interrogé sur une photo où il pose à côté d'Alex del Nogal, a admis qu'il s'agissait d'une réunion publique en 2004, pour réunir des fonds destinés à sa campagne électorale. D'autres photos le montrent en compagnie de personnalités "chavistes".

Le 15 octobre, un tribunal vénézuélien a "saisi tous les biens immobiliers, les avoirs, les sociétés, aéronefs et automobiles" appartenant à Alex del Nogal et les a mis à disposition du bureau national antidrogue. Selon l'opposant social-démocrate Julio Montoya, sa firme Financial Corporation est en affaires avec Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA).

Son élargissement, en plein procès, par le juge des libertés, a laissé "surpris et perplexe" le procureur Marcello Viola pour qui "il y avait les éléments suffisants pour maintenir l'accusation". Ses avocats n'avaient même pas fait de demande de remise en liberté, se bornant à réclamer une mesure d'assignation à résidence. Libre malgré lui ? Voilà une bizarrerie supplémentaire dans l'itinéraire d'un personnage sulfureux. En effet, après avoir fait de la prison en Suisse pour trafic de drogue et blanchiment d'argent, Alex del Nogal a été condamné à vingt ans et onze mois de prison au Venezuela en 1995, pour l'assassinat de Mario Patty, un ex-partenaire jeté d'un avion dans la mer des Caraïbes avec une balle dans la tête. Cinq ans plus tard, il a bénéficié de la liberté conditionnelle pour "bonne conduite". "Depuis que Chavez est arrivé à la présidence, on commence à faire justice", avait-il alors déclaré.

La presse italienne insiste sur les relations supposées du Vénézuélien avec les services de renseignement de Caracas. Alors qu'il menait l'enquête sur les frères Del Nogal, le substitut du procureur antimafia de Palerme, Sergio Barbiera, a déposé plainte après avoir découvert un système d'écoutes téléphoniques clandestines à son domicile.

[sashamotto]

Based on my unsourced knowledge, I would believe that traffickers would use as many methods as available so as to not have too much disruption in supply. But yeah, wikipedia has a nice article on the matter in general, but lacks info specific to llello.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_drug_trade <- this is the general one