NPR

https://news.met.police.uk/news/married ... men-416059

I know the phenomenon of trafficking women for sex or enslaving people in a covert fashion has always been a thing but it seems to be increasing. Or at least it is more widely acknowledged and reported on than it used to be, it feels like every other week I read a story like the one above.

Along the same lines I was reading the other day about county lines gangs using kids as young as 10 years old as drugs mules, they stick these kids on trains with small amounts of crack hidden in their rectum, it is repulsive.

It seems vulnerable people, women & kids, are more prone than ever to fall into the clutches of predators who are exploiting them, forcing them to work as slaves, sell drugs or have sex. I'm sure part of the reason why is that people have never in history been able to travel so widely and so easily and to do so without arousing suspicion. Another reason is the way in which (as the story points out) the criminal enterprises can all be run through throwaway mobile phones. Communication has never been easier or more mobile. Social media is also another way that predators can snare their victims, a tool that predators did not have at their disposal in times past.

Beyond the logistics I wonder what other factors might play a role.

Hugo wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 9:45 am
Along the same lines I was reading the other day about county lines gangs using kids as young as 10 years old as drugs mules, they stick these kids on trains with small amounts of crack hidden in their rectum, it is repulsive.

Beyond the logistics I wonder what other factors might play a role.

Stupidity probably. Surely it's about 500 times less expensive, complicated and risky for 1 adult to transport 5 kg of crack in a backpack on the Virgin Train himself??

It's just awful and goes on right under our noses.

I think lack of resources must have a big role to play in why it seems to be increasing. You see any hand car wash, nail bar etc etc and know that there are people there against their will, not to mention strip bars and red light districts. The police must know this is all going on but it must be a bit overwhelming - hopefully Blackmac sees this.

I think these traffickers and gang bosses should be treated on the same level as murderers in terms of jail time etc, they knowingly and willingly ruin lives, fuck them

Sandstorm wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 9:59 am

Hugo wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 9:45 am
Along the same lines I was reading the other day about county lines gangs using kids as young as 10 years old as drugs mules, they stick these kids on trains with small amounts of crack hidden in their rectum, it is repulsive.

Beyond the logistics I wonder what other factors might play a role.

Stupidity probably. Surely it's about 500 times less expensive, complicated and risky for 1 adult to transport 5 kg of crack in a backpack on the Virgin Train himself??

Yes, but its also about bringing fresh expendable meat into the scheme. These people are not stupid, they are evil.

Slick wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 10:02 am It's just awful and goes on right under our noses.

I think lack of resources must have a big role to play in why it seems to be increasing. You see any hand car wash, nail bar etc etc and know that there are people there against their will, not to mention strip bars and red light districts. The police must know this is all going on but it must be a bit overwhelming - hopefully Blackmac sees this.

I think these traffickers and gang bosses should be treated on the same level as murderers in terms of jail time etc, they knowingly and willingly ruin lives, fuck them

No funding for police and prison services. Plus Human Rights issues makes it just as hard to arrest a trafficker (DAC would tell you they're all uppity foreigners anyway) as it is to help the poor slave.

Slick wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 10:04 am

Sandstorm wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 9:59 am

Hugo wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 9:45 am
Along the same lines I was reading the other day about county lines gangs using kids as young as 10 years old as drugs mules, they stick these kids on trains with small amounts of crack hidden in their rectum, it is repulsive.

Beyond the logistics I wonder what other factors might play a role.

Stupidity probably. Surely it's about 500 times less expensive, complicated and risky for 1 adult to transport 5 kg of crack in a backpack on the Virgin Train himself??

Yes, but its also about bringing fresh expendable meat into the scheme. These people are not stupid, they are evil.

Sorry, inefficient.

If people don’t want this trafficking to occur under their noses , then people shouldn’t go to strip clubs / brothels / nail bars / take illegal narcotics

Will admit that my experience of nail bars is limited

Sandstorm wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 10:16 am

Slick wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 10:04 am

Sandstorm wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 9:59 am

Stupidity probably. Surely it's about 500 times less expensive, complicated and risky for 1 adult to transport 5 kg of crack in a backpack on the Virgin Train himself??

Yes, but its also about bringing fresh expendable meat into the scheme. These people are not stupid, they are evil.

Sorry, inefficient.

The way the article explained it is that the dealers have changed their couriering habits and now send kids with just one to two days worth of drugs at a time. The rationale was that sending it up in such small quantities massively reduced the risk of detection and sticking up the kids rectum made the drugs more or less impossible to find during a search.

Apparently the cuckooing they used to do (taking over a users house to deal from) is a thing of the past, the police were on to it and they became too visible.

Here's the article: https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... say-police

Yeeb wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 10:19 am If people don’t want this trafficking to occur under their noses , then people shouldn’t go to strip clubs / brothels / nail bars / take illegal narcotics

Will admit that my experience of nail bars is limited

They'll switch to trafficking European fruit pickers next year. Huge potential profits.

Sandstorm wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 10:47 am

Yeeb wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 10:19 am If people don’t want this trafficking to occur under their noses , then people shouldn’t go to strip clubs / brothels / nail bars / take illegal narcotics

Will admit that my experience of nail bars is limited

They'll switch to trafficking European fruit pickers next year. Huge potential profits.

Won’t lie, not the first thing I’ve seen on the internet involving Europeans & their Melons, Plums, carrots and cucumbers

Slick wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 10:02 am It's just awful and goes on right under our noses.

I think lack of resources must have a big role to play in why it seems to be increasing. You see any hand car wash, nail bar etc etc and know that there are people there against their will, not to mention strip bars and red light districts. The police must know this is all going on but it must be a bit overwhelming - hopefully Blackmac sees this.

I think these traffickers and gang bosses should be treated on the same level as murderers in terms of jail time etc, they knowingly and willingly ruin lives, fuck them

But the Police have time to spend sitting in vans operating speed traps? Let me think about this
- rep doing 80 mph on M6 in his Mondeo v
- Albanian trafficking teenage girls

Wonder which should really be the focus of efforts?

Actually, I don't think it's resource that's the big factor here but cultural (get ready for the screams of "racist") and why I deliberately used the Albanians because they are a significant disproportion in female traffic + forced prostitution. Rather like the Rotherham case, even when the police have the resources, they are being hand tied by the "need to respect cultural sensitivities" i.e. if serious people crime perpetuated by ethnic minority, a greater chance it will be ignored. Note crimes against property appear to be a different thing: it's only people that don't count.

Hey. Look up the records for the number of prosecutions undertaken at all (I didn't ask for successful ones) in regards FGM,

I imagine there is a great difficulty in getting the victims to testify as they likely have relatives in Albania who can be got at very easily.

tabascoboy wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 11:38 am I imagine there is a great difficulty in getting the victims to testify as they likely have relatives in Albania who can be got at very easily.

That's definitely a factor in non reporting but there are plenty of ways of obtaining arrests and prosecutions on behalf of vulnerable people. Thing is, you have to actually look.

tabascoboy wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 11:38 am I imagine there is a great difficulty in getting the victims to testify as they likely have relatives in Albania who can be got at very easily.

Indeed, intimidation would be very harsh.

Sandstorm wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 9:59 am

Hugo wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 9:45 am
Along the same lines I was reading the other day about county lines gangs using kids as young as 10 years old as drugs mules, they stick these kids on trains with small amounts of crack hidden in their rectum, it is repulsive.

Beyond the logistics I wonder what other factors might play a role.

Stupidity probably. Surely it's about 500 times less expensive, complicated and risky for 1 adult to transport 5 kg of crack in a backpack on the Virgin Train himself?? :crazy:

Have you seen the price of virgin train tickets? 5kg of crack isn’t going to generate enough profit to be worth that.

ScarfaceClaw wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 11:55 am

Sandstorm wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 9:59 am

Hugo wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 9:45 am
Along the same lines I was reading the other day about county lines gangs using kids as young as 10 years old as drugs mules, they stick these kids on trains with small amounts of crack hidden in their rectum, it is repulsive.

Beyond the logistics I wonder what other factors might play a role.

Stupidity probably. Surely it's about 500 times less expensive, complicated and risky for 1 adult to transport 5 kg of crack in a backpack on the Virgin Train himself??

Have you seen the price of virgin train tickets? 5kg of crack isn’t going to generate enough profit to be worth that.

ScarfaceClaw wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 11:55 am

Sandstorm wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 9:59 am

Hugo wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 9:45 am
Along the same lines I was reading the other day about county lines gangs using kids as young as 10 years old as drugs mules, they stick these kids on trains with small amounts of crack hidden in their rectum, it is repulsive.

Beyond the logistics I wonder what other factors might play a role.

Stupidity probably. Surely it's about 500 times less expensive, complicated and risky for 1 adult to transport 5 kg of crack in a backpack on the Virgin Train himself??

Have you seen the price of virgin train tickets? 5kg of crack isn’t going to generate enough profit to be worth that.

Except there are no Virgin trains. Franchise pulled and handed to some Mickey Mouse, Italian outfit.

Can basically all of the huge growth in the Hand Car Wash businesses that have popped up in the last decade be put down to money laundering for other, more nefarious, criminal enterprises?

Kawazaki wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 12:47 pm Can basically all of the huge growth in the Hand Car Wash businesses that have popped up in the last decade be put down to money laundering for other, more nefarious, criminal enterprises?

Possibly some. Ours is Romanian and MASSIVELY profitable.

Plenty of restaurants that are ML operations. One near my office which has run for 15+ years without me ever seeing more than 1 customer in there.

And no, it's not Patisserie Valerie.

Stop the movement of cheap labour across borders and you’d go a long way towards stopping it.

Torquemada 1420 wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 12:54 pm

Kawazaki wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 12:47 pm Can basically all of the huge growth in the Hand Car Wash businesses that have popped up in the last decade be put down to money laundering for other, more nefarious, criminal enterprises?

Possibly some. Ours is Romanian and MASSIVELY profitable.

Plenty of restaurants that are ML operations. One near my office which has run for 15+ years without me ever seeing more than 1 customer in there.

And no, it's not Patisserie Valerie.

Most of the crap souvenir shops in Central London are a front for Afghan crooks, pay staff slave wages, don't pay VAT or tax and open and close under different "management" every few months
Excellent investigative report in Private Eye about them last year

Kawazaki wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 12:47 pm Can basically all of the huge growth in the Hand Car Wash businesses that have popped up in the last decade be put down to money laundering for other, more nefarious, criminal enterprises?

That reminds me, I should watch breaking bad again.

SaintK wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 1:01 pm Most of the crap souvenir shops in Central London are a front for Afghan crooks, pay staff slave wages, don't pay VAT or tax and open and close under different "management" every few months
Excellent investigative report in Private Eye about them last year

And not just them. With the overhead for Oxford St type premises, you'd have to shift a Titanic load of I Luv Lahndahn t-shirts each day just to break even.

Torquemada 1420 wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 12:54 pm

Kawazaki wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 12:47 pm Can basically all of the huge growth in the Hand Car Wash businesses that have popped up in the last decade be put down to money laundering for other, more nefarious, criminal enterprises?

Possibly some. Ours is Romanian and MASSIVELY profitable.

Plenty of restaurants that are ML operations. One near my office which has run for 15+ years without me ever seeing more than 1 customer in there.

And no, it's not Patisserie Valerie.

Aberdeen Angus steak houses and Green lane......