Slashdot Mirror
Sniffing Out Billions In US Currency Smuggled Across the Border To Mexico
An anonymous reader writes "Criminals smuggle an estimated $30 billion in U.S. currency into Mexico each year from the United States, most of it laundered drug money. But researchers say help is on the way for border guards in the form of a portable device that identifies specific vapors given off by U.S. paper money. "We're developing a device that mimics the function of trained dogs 'sniffing' out concealed money, but without the drawbacks, such as expensive training, sophisticated operators, down time and communication limitations," says Suiqiong Li, Ph.D., a member of the research team behind the technology. When developing the device, the researchers first had to figure out which gases money emits and how fast that happens. It turned out that the gases are a set of trace chemicals, including aldehydes, furans and organic acids." What do bitcoins smell like?
Despair, irony, and a touch of vermouth.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
https://www.google.com/search?&q=banks+helping+drug+cartels
I only switched to carrying sacks of bills across the border in the dead of night because dealing with those assholes at HSBC when I needed money laundered was too much trouble. I'll be seriously upset if enhanced security means I have to re-open my account with them. They wouldn't even upgrade me to Narcoterrorist Platinum Checking unless I provided proof of having ordered at least 50 grisly killings personally, or qualified for MegaMule Rewards by transporting more than a metric ton of high quality cocaine per quarter...
Problem here is they are not looking for anything that is evidence of a crime. It is legal to carry money over the border up to a certain amount so, the smell of money doesn't actually indicate any crime, and isn't evidence of any crime.
Sounds like a bunch of bullshit to justify expenditures on cool new technology which will be quickly mothballed after its found to be useless or ruled by the courts to not be justification for extra scrutiny.
"I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
There is not a lot of problems associated with drug money going to the Mexico.
30 billion a year going into the hands of violent drug cartels isn't a problem? I disagree.
On the other hand, waves of unskilled, poor, desperate people and who can't legally work here is a recipe for social problems that will last generations.
Are you American Indian? If not, from which wave of poor desperate immigrants did your family arrive?
Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.