Having created a blog entitled “Illegal Trade”, how could the issue of drug trade not be discussed? Drugs is probably the first thing that comes to most people’s minds once they hear the phrase “illegal trade”; justifiably, indeed, since drugs are playing a crucial role not only in world economy, but also in our everyday recreational time that we spend with other indivi duals. Either we like it or not, or, even, either we know it or not, people around us are more likely than not to have tried some kind of drugs and to be doing drugs on regular basis. The purpose of this post is not to judge, but, rather, to give some interesting facts on cannabis trade within Britain, which came to my knowledge after my interest was triggered by a BBC iPlayer documentary, which unfortunately expired and is no longer available.
Like everyone, and before watching the documentary on BBC iPlayer, I could have never imagined the extent to which cannabis is being cultivated in Britain. Having watched films such as Johnny Depp’s “Blow” and “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and having followed the news back in my country and in Europe in general, my knowledge extended only to the obvious facts: that cannabis is cultivated in certain developing regions, such as some Latin American and Asian countries. Children being forced to work in the production of cocaine, cannabis, and the long list goes on. Drugs illegally imported in developed countries and distributed and re-distributed from there by drug dealers. I knew that certain drug dealers would cultivate their own crop, but not that the profits of that crop could reach up to and more than £1 million!
This documentary was essentially about the raids that the UK police was doing in suspected cannabis factories. The method that the police was using to trace those factories was quite interesting, and it is proving to be quite efficient. Let me put it this way: the next time you see a helicopter up in the skies, do not automatically assume it is an experience day for couples. It could be looking to trace a cannabis factory, using infra-red heat detection devices. The main idea behind this detection system, is that the lamps used to provide light and heat to the cannabis plants within random rented houses in normal neighbourhoods, give out excessive heat, which may be detected through these devices. For more information on this relatively new method, please read this: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/mar/13/drugsandalcohol.drugs
The information that this article provides is similar to the information given regarding these devices in the documentary.
What impressed me the most is the fact that through this type of raids, so many cannabis factories had been uncovered, which, on the outside had seemed to be normal neighbourhood houses, except for the fact that their curtains always remained closed! Behind closed doors, the scenery reminded me of those Colombian landscapes that we see in movies, cultivating different varieties of cannabis. Those factories were operating in normal neighbourhoods, without anyone suspecting that next door, there was someone about to make hundreds of thousands or even million of pounds just by planting a few seeds and providing the right conditions for the plant to thrive!
For a very recent story on cannabis factory raids, go on http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-11734940
More interesting facts about drug trade to follow shortly!
Take care x
No comments:
Post a Comment