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Originally Posted by Trollheart
I don't get why you guys don't seem to think this is a big deal. Seriously, what would you have happen? It's not like they tried to smuggle a small amount of coke in: it was eleven kilos! That's like filling my biggest, fattest cat up with coke and then cloning him twice and filling those two up also. That is a LOT of coke! This is no "oh we didn't know" situation: these girls clearly knew they were taking a risk but decided the money was worth it.
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It certainly is a lot of coke and its seizure should have had some effect on the supply of it in Europe......but that is not going to be the case and cocaine will continue to flow here. But how is that possible when airport security there is that strict? It should be easy to seize nearly all the coke that goes through shouldn't it? But no, it still comes through and the corrupt officials there are paid to look the other way, but of course to show the international community that Peru is doing their bit, they have to seize some and make an example of the carriers. All these girls were was unlucky, as had they had better protectors they would've walked away after a pay-off before it became public knowledge. Again I stress that it's impossible to have any real justice under these circumstances.
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How US can say they may not have known Peruvian law is beyond me: it's well known that countries outside of Europe have harsher laws for drug smuggling to try and reduce it.
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You might know this, I might know this, but that doesn't mean that all elements of the population are going to be equally aware.
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Anyway, if they were going to do this do you not think they would have checked out the penalties if they were caught? If they didn't they were either monumentally stupid or believed there was no chance they would get caught OR if they did, they could lie their way out of it
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Like I said, there is a good chance they may not have been aware, only time will tell on this with the trial.
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Nobody likes being used. People have been used here: used to try to protest the innocence of two stupid women who do not deserve it, and people are angry at them. I can't understand your tolerance for this sort of thing. Why should it NOT be a big deal? What sort of message does it send to future would-be smugglers if these people are not clamped down upon hard?
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Whether you clamp down hard on these people makes no difference, smuggling will go on as it's good business for all concerned. Unless you address the production of the product and educate the users more, harsh prison sentences will have little effect here.
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And yes, I know the barons get off because they can pay, but hey that's just how the world works. Same as when the scandal in Abu Gharib broke: who went down? A few soldiers and some bog-level officers. No top brass, even though it was clear they knew and had possibly condoned this behaviour. If this was an ideal world ALL of the guilty would be punished but it's not and sometimes it's the foot soldiers who pay. The fact that they are willing to BE footsoldiers makes them just as guilty and just as liable to prosecution as the bosses.
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The barons get off and the foot soldiers pay the price for failure, I won't argue that it's not the way of the world, but don't ask me to agree with punishing the foot soldiers with harsh laws, while the drug barons walk free.