An open door to drug smugglers: Air travellers carrying cannabis let off with slap on wrist

[Potent]

Source -

http://www.dailymail...o=feeds-newsxml

An open door to drug smugglers: Air travellers carrying cannabis let off with slap on wrist

By

JACK DOYLE

PUBLISHED:

22:48, 14 May 2012 |

UPDATED:

07:20, 15 May 2012

• Passengers caught with small amount of drug are escaping with a warning
  
• Critics fear smugglers will flock to Britain, without fear of prosecution
  

Air passengers caught entering Britain with cannabis in their luggage are being let off with just a ‘slap on the wrist’.

Customs staff were found to have handed out nothing more than a warning to passengers arriving at Britain’s second biggest airport.

Home Office officials insist that anyone caught with the illegal Class B drug in their luggage should be arrested on the spot. They can face a jail term of up to 14 years.

But inspectors found that at Gatwick, where small amounts of cannabis were discovered, passengers were not even detained by officials.

Instead they were given an oral warning, had the drug confiscated and then were allowed to continue their journey.

The revelations have prompted fears that cannabis laws are being widely ignored across Britain’s airports, leading to a virtual ‘open door’ situation for drug smugglers who know they have every chance of escaping any punishment even if caught.

Details of the practice at Gatwick emerged in a report by the chief inspector of the UK Border Agency, John Vine.

Airport records for April and May 2011 showed that a total of four passengers were found with small quantities of cannabis after luggage searches at Gatwick North Terminal.

Under the rules, they should have been arrested and their case passed to an investigation team. But instead, inspectors said, all four ‘were allowed to proceed with a warning’.

Inspectors are allowed to let low-level drugs offenders pay a fine known as a compound settlement, but this must be done with the approval of a senior officer. In none of the four cases was the passenger even given a financial penalty.

The passengers’ personal details were recorded on an internal UK Border Agency computer system, but were not passed to the police or placed on the Police National Computer.

In effect, they have nothing against their name unless they commit the same crime again.

One former Customs officer said: ‘The police are now giving out warnings for bringing in cannabis... It would not surprise me in the least if this was more widespread.’

Last night Mary Brett, of campaign group Europe Against Drugs, said: ‘This is ridiculous. It sends the message, “Bring your cannabis here to Britain and if we catch you it doesn’t matterâ€.

‘This is simply an extension of the police’s lax attitude on the streets towards cannabis into the airport. They do not consider it a crime and they are happy to turn a blind eye.

‘Those who are caught should be dealt with properly and arrested.

‘If the authorities did prosecute a few it would send a message that we take cannabis seriously, which we obviously do not at the moment.’

Garry Cullen, assistant chief inspector of the UK Border Agency, said that what the inspectors found was ‘worrying’ and officials were acting outside the law.

‘Clearly we were concerned with what we found,’ he said. ‘They should comply with the rules that are set out and they did not.'

Under the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act the maximum penalty for bringing a class B drug such as cannabis into Britain is 14 years in jail and an unlimited fine. But in practice, penalties for cannabis possession on Britain’s streets have been steadily eroded in recent years.

The drug was downgraded to Class C by the then Home Secretary, Labour’s David Blunkett, in 2004.

Since then, users have no longer faced automatic arrest. Instead, police give a formal warning for cannabis possession on the street.

Even after it was restored to Class B in 2008 police were allowed to give out cannabis warnings, which were handed to nearly 19,000 offenders in 2010 and do not go on offenders’ formal record.

Experts warned that ignoring penalties would encourage more people to bring in drugs.

Criminologist Dr David Green, director of the Civitas think tank, said: ‘If you allow it to be known that the law is not enforced, people will break it more frequently.

‘Word will spread that you can get cannabis in at Gatwick and more people will try to bring it in.’

The report said staff had been moved away from Customs checks to staff immigration controls.

Lucy Moreton, deputy general secretary of the Immigration Services Union, said: ‘I can’t say I’m surprised. Like everything, the customs side of the operation is limited and there’s a lot of pressure to put people on to immigration checks.

‘Given the pressure on staff I can understand if the view was to confiscate the drugs and let the individual go.’

A Border Force spokesman said: ‘Our message is clear: Importing cannabis is illegal and our officers will seize it and other illegal drugs if smugglers try to bring it into the UK.

‘In recent weeks we have seized 100 kilos [220lb] of cannabis alone, and we are continuing to tackle the drug trade and prosecute smugglers.’

[mopman]

Interesting article , ive been upping the green ticks and adding to the red lol

[nirvana76]

Here in Italy there are from from 8 to 15 years in prison for international drug trafficking (cocaine, eroine, cannabis), for quantity as a personal use.

For small doses there are only the arrest and release after a few hours later with a cash penalty or maybe after a few days if there is not the magistrate on duty.

In the Milan Airport every year i don't know how many people are arrested with the X-rays performed on site in the stomach by the Guardia di Finanza, especially theflights from Nigeria and South America for the Coca, Holland Extasi LSD and Coke, travel more 'trafficked by "MULES" with a belly full of condoms.

The problem that those poor, risk years in prison for quantity 'minimum that can be swallowed, but the prison sentence is the same even if you do travel by car carryingamounts much' more! What a strange Italian laws! Vai in Spain and fill the spare tire Hashis, risk less than with the plane and if you're lucky though 'you brought home ................... ............. do the math!

[Bam-Bhole]

Ridiculous. this kind of medieval evil minded propaganda frightens me to pieces. I mean what they supposed to do with travellers carryinng a few joints worth of weed for their own consumption while travelling long distances and paying high ticket prices etc.

Shoot immediately, put in prison for 6 month to await their trial..come on.

The stuff is coinfiscated, a reoprt has been made (otherwise these asholes would not know about it). So why is that an open invitation to flood the UK with Cannabis from the inside of an airplane via Gatwick ? Come on - how stupid is that ?!!

They still check for larger amounts and cocaine and other hard drugs.. so what ?

Reminds me of islamic countries where bringing in a laptop with porno can mean 2 and a half years prison (as happened to Grooverider couple years ago, when authorities checked his laptop before a Drum'n Bass DJ gig). His carreer was put to an end he had to serve the whole 30 month !

Reminds of days of witch hunts and the White Hammer .. some people never learn..to tolerate other person's lifestyle and preferences and repeat what has been told them by rightwing politricians.

[PsychoMantis]

interseting article i agree Bam i mean come on a few joints worth and it was confiscated not like they had pallets of pot on the plane

I still cant grasp it being illegal anywhere i mean its a plant thats been here forever and apparently has been selected long ago for use because of its qualities

what it all boils down to is money