Passenger Trains > Big Pot Bust on #6 Yesterday (12-17-14)

The perp didn't get too far. Got on in Sacramento, was escorted off in Colfax. Hope the photo comes out. Looks like a lot more than 16 pounds to me.

http://www.auburnjournal.com/article/12/17/14/amtrak-pot-bust-nets-16-pounds

That Amtrak officer mentioned in the article was the same one that was involved in the investigation and prosecution of the gang members that attacked the Amtrak engineer in West Sac several years ago. (Was recently I the news again because the engineer sued Amtrak as a result).

I am going to say that this is a lot more than just buying a one-way ticket with cash. That may have got their attention, but the hand off of the ticket to someone else I am sure sealed the deal to continue the investigation. Suspect was probably acting suspicious (nervous) with the duffle bag as well.
Gary

Posted from iPhone

On one hand, it's good that this interdiction took a smuggler off the train. We don't need or want drug smuggling going down on the Zephyr (or other trains for that matter). BUT...

Every time LEOs *do* bust someone on the CZ, it endorses/validates/encourages their greater problem of passenger abuses. During one of my Reno incidents where I was being accosted by an overzealous LEO, I asked him why he felt so entitled to interrogate me and demand a warrantless search of my bags. His response? "Because people use this train to smuggle drugs, and this is how we catch them."

So because the LEOs cannot be bothered to employ an intelligent profiling system, they abuse pax like me and point to busts like the one yesterday as their rationale for doing so. No matter that I don't have so much as a traffic ticket on my record. Or that I bought my sleeper ticket with a CC and am a longtime AGR member. Or any of the many other factors that point to me being a lawful and responsible Amtrak passenger.

I guess in the end you just can't fix stupid. People continue moving drugs aboard a train that has a task force specifically assigned to to it to catch them. But I also hate that LEOs continue to point to these busts as their excuse for abusing the rest of us who just want to enjoy our journey without their LEO drama hour.

ColdRainAndSnow Wrote:
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> On one hand, it's good that this interdiction took
> a smuggler off the train. We don't need or want
> drug smuggling going down on the Zephyr (or other
> trains for that matter). BUT...
>
> Every time LEOs *do* bust someone on the CZ, it
> endorses/validates/encourages their greater
> problem of passenger abuses. During one of my Reno
> incidents where I was being accosted by an
> overzealous LEO, I asked him why he felt so
> entitled to interrogate me and demand a
> warrantless search of my bags. His response?
> "Because people use this train to smuggle drugs,
> and this is how we catch them."
>
> So because the LEOs cannot be bothered to employ
> an intelligent profiling system, they abuse pax
> like me and point to busts like the one yesterday
> as their rationale for doing so. No matter that I
> don't have so much as a traffic ticket on my
> record. Or that I bought my sleeper ticket with a
> CC and am a longtime AGR member. Or any of the
> many other factors that point to me being a lawful
> and responsible Amtrak passenger.
>
> I guess in the end you just can't fix stupid.
> People continue moving drugs aboard a train that
> has a task force specifically assigned to to it to
> catch them. But I also hate that LEOs continue to
> point to these busts as their excuse for abusing
> the rest of us who just want to enjoy our journey
> without their LEO drama hour.

Yes.

I'd like to see warnings posted at the station, and maybe on the website if you buy your ticket there. Something like "On an Amtrak train, you must follow the company's rules on lawful transportation of firearms, and conveyance of pharmaceutical products or drugs. If you don't know what these rules are, here's how to find out."

Not unlike the warnings as you wait in line to go through security on a plane. Even though people still ignore 10 signs and have their TEC-9, Glock, nine inch blade knife, etc confiscated.

We are not allowed to profile...

wabash2800 Wrote:
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> We are not allowed to profile...

Dunno who "we" is meant to be, but I am here to tell you that profiling is ALIVE AND WELL onboard the California Zephyr. No less than two different LEOs admitted, under my withering cross-interrogation, that they profile pax based on their booking attributes. Single male? Check. Traveling in the "expensive" Sleeping Car? Check. Bought ticket within last 3 months? Check. That's enough for them to decide to accost you at your door.

If that ain't [primitive and foolhardy] profiling, nothing is.

wabash2800 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We are not allowed to profile...


NJ State Police occasionally bust grandmas on the Turnpike with a case or two of hand guns. They buy the weapons in places where rules are lax, and sell them in places where rules are tight, and illegal weapons command a profit. Many savvy folks know you want a weapon still in its original wrap (i.e., not been used in a prior homicide) and the grannies are happy to oblige.

The profits pay for a trip to the big city, maybe dinner and a show, etc.

I would like to hear more about the rules on Amtrak that allow LEO's to search your room or belongings. Do you not have fourth amendment protection in a rented room? Any lawyers here?

Brings back memories aboard the Coast Starlight when smoking was still permitted..Conductor Korn got on the PA And said slowly and loudly " I smell M-a-r-i-j-u-n-a..If I find you, I will throw you off this train".....

OliveHeights Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I would like to hear more about the rules on
> Amtrak that allow LEO's to search your room or
> belongings. Do you not have fourth amendment
> protection in a rented room? Any lawyers here?

I would love to hear more about this too. I was counseled to, next time this happened, request from the LEO(s) their basis for reasonable articulable suspicion (RAS). There won't be any (single male in sleeper ain't it!), so you are then entitled to ask whether you are being detained. Without RAS, they may not detain you. At that juncture, you can either leave your room or request that they do so.

Problem is, some of these guys will argue with you that they have the right to detain and question you. Unless they have RAS, they do not. But they'll try to convince you that you must deal with them. Meanwhile, as this argument ensues, you may be holding up the train. If you do agree to being detained for questioning, you will likely end up on the platform watching the markers of your train recede into the distance. If you tell them they cannot search your bag without a warrant, they may take you off and call in a dog to establish PC to search the bag. The dog will find nothing of course. But it's the same result though. The train won't wait for you.

They know this and exploit it. If you don't want to risk interrupting your trip, you must capitulate and let them trample over your 4th Amendment rights. That's why I use the words "LEO abuses." That's precisely what they are.

Let's not forget that pot is now completely legal in several states (CO and Wa and OR as of next year?) and more are getting on board every year. The money wasted trying to enforce laws that that the majority of America doesn't want vs collecting taxes on it to finance, for example,infrastructure and education... well, nothing to see here, just move along.

Cheers,

I should have put that in quotes...

ColdRainAndSnow Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> wabash2800 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > We are not allowed to profile...
>
> Dunno who "we" is meant to be, but I am here to
> tell you that profiling is ALIVE AND WELL onboard
> the California Zephyr. No less than two different
> LEOs admitted, under my withering
> cross-interrogation, that they profile pax based
> on their booking attributes. Single male? Check.
> Traveling in the "expensive" Sleeping Car? Check.
> Bought ticket within last 3 months? Check. That's
> enough for them to decide to accost you at your
> door.
>
> If that ain't profiling, nothing is.

As a federal agency / enterprise, I'd be very surprised if Amtrak recognized state laws on marijuana possession. Even a Colorado legal amount in your pocket on an intra-state trip.

phil-s Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The money wasted trying to enforce laws that that
> the majority of America doesn't want vs collecting
> taxes on it to finance, >
> Cheers,

Anyone who thinks we can recover any meaningful revenue from taxing pot is seriously mistaken. It is too easy to grow and peddle.
While the long term effects are being studied ad nauseum, we know from decades of experience how bad cigarettes and alcohol are, but those industries are readily taxed, and help offset their societal costs, somewhat.

Jim Montague
IRVINE, CA
Train and Nature photo Art

Sorry Wabash. The batteries in my sarcasm detector must be low.

OK, so there are regular drug busts on the California Zephyr. Police activity will continue for as long as these agencies are seeing an ROI on their sweeps. So that brings us to the drug smugglers then.

It seems to me that any smuggler would at least do some cursory research on whether trains were a good bet for moving contraband. In today's age, that would probably start with some Google queries. So let's do that.

Within milliseconds of googling "California Zephyr drug busts," the first page of results is chock full of results indicating police interdictions. One of the first page results is even mine, whereby a few years ago I reported that an LEO attempted to play hide-and-seek with me at the door of my bedroom until I yelled at him to stop playing his childish games.

But I digress. What still confounds me to this day is why people think it's even a remotely safe bet to smuggle drugs on the California Zephyr. LEOs board in Sacramento. LEOs board in Truckee. LEOs board in Reno. LEOs board in Omaha. LEOs greet train in Galesburg. LEOs greet train in Naperville. Voluminous news stories bear this out.

To say that criminals are dumb is a cliche. But I guess some of them just suck at their chosen professions.

This is a perfect example of why some of us "LEO's" just want to park in a corner and let crime run ramped.. Yes we harass everyone for fun. Thanks for the support!!

jmj3293 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is a perfect example of why some of us
> "LEO's" just want to park in a corner and let
> crime run ramped.. Yes we harass everyone for fun.
> Thanks for the support!!

That's awfully melodramatic. And I don't see anywhere in this topic where LEO's beyond those participating in the CZ spectacle are being taken to task. But the fact remains that some in your profession working on the Reno task force are abusing their positions of authority. So on that, I would understand your disappointment in their betrayal to your profession.

jmj3293 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is a perfect example of why some of us
> "LEO's" just want to park in a corner and let
> crime run ramped.. Yes we harass everyone for fun.
> Thanks for the support!!


There's an opinion piece in today's Wall Street Journal about the contradictory positions many of the same people hold on law enforcement. High % of African American, white, and Hispanic people want quality of life issues (street drug sales, hookers, panhandlers, squeegee men, etc) removed. In the high 80%. Yet, arresting people for minor quality of life crimes is frowned on, also by high % of people. Removing people with weapons from the streets is desired, yet stopping people in high crime areas, questioning them, and frisking them is wrong and discriminatory. Even if particular streets at particular times of the day have high incidences of gun crimes.

It's very difficult to deliver the results sought by the community if the tactics aren't acceptable. Merchants don't want panhandlers and hookers blocking their door ways and annoying their customers. They call the cops, and the neighbors don't like the cops running them off.

It's an interesting piece