Lowering the risk !

The traditional way of getting illegal drugs into Australia usually involves having them carefully hidden away in imported items.  This ongoing battle of wits between the smugglers and customs has involved great ingenuity. The sheer volume of containers passing through import hubs puts the chances of success in the smuggler's favour but we also see regular busts and detection methods are constantly being improved.

Smart criminals took to diversifying the risk.   Instead of putting all their eggs in one basket, they changed tactics and began sending very small quantities of drugs through the mail system.   The sheer size of the mail flow made close inspection of each item impossible and inevitably much contraband reached it's destination successfully.

The mail branch of customs has also sharpened up it's detection methods.  Drug sniffing dogs have made inroads into the flow, but the most effective weapon has been the computer.    The ability of computers to keep track of the destinations of inward letters and small parcel deliveries highlights suspicious people who receive multiple deliveries from suspicious locations overseas.   Once this pattern emerges, customs pounce !

Now the ever resourceful criminal elements behind the drug trade have devised a new strategy.  The foot soldiers of the drug trade have been tasked with recruiting high school kids as the new breed of drug mules. They are offering bribes of between $ 300 and $ 500 for the use of their " clean " addresses.   The drug cartels can use the computer tracking system to know precisely when a nominated package will arrive and they forewarn the kids to be at home to receive delivery.   Usually, the parents know nothing of this underworld arrangement.

The clever strategy behind this method relies on a wide array of clean addresses that are not likely to draw suspicion because they are each used at spaced intervals.   The fee paid to the " Mule " is minuscule in comparison to the profit made from the value of the drugs involved.

Some of the kids are naive and unaware that they are involved in the drug trade while others are getting their first taste of criminal activity - and are liking the easy profits it delivers.    Few would fully understand the risks that are involved.   Rival drug gangs wage vicious wars with competitors and these kids - and their families - risk being drawn into the fray.

This new menace delivers a warning to parents.   If your child makes purchases on the Internet, be aware that the item purchased may contain hidden drugs and that these may be passed into the hands of a criminal in exchange for money.    Innocent items such as a safety helmet can contain a stash weighing in at half a kilo - and on the drug market that can make the drug industry people a small fortune.