Looking For iPad, Police Find 750 Pounds of Meth 195
An anonymous reader writes "Hot on the trail of a stolen iPad using the 'Find my iPad' feature in iOS, Police in San Jose tracked the stolen device back to an apartment complex where they then stumbled onto 750 pounds of meth. All told, the meth is worth about $35 million on the street. The seizure was one of the largest drug busts in recent memory."
Crime solved when Police do their job, News at 11 (Score:5, Insightful)
Wait, you mean investigating actual crimes leads to discovery of other, actual crimes?
SAY IT AIN'T SO
Yes, but... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Depressing (Score:1, Insightful)
Macroeconomics 101: Reducing the supply without reducing the demand does not change the quantity supplied, it only changes the price.
Re:Obligitory Apple-Troll Post (Score:3, Insightful)
True, but the Apple addicts are more dangerous to confront.
Re:Depressing (Score:3, Insightful)
Meth is a bad, bad drug.
http://www.rxlist.com/desoxyn-drug.htm [rxlist.com]
Why is this on Slashdot? (Score:0, Insightful)
So, why are stories like this on Slashdot in the first place? Just because an iPad was mentioned? Come on, editors.
Re:Crime solved when Police do their job, News at (Score:5, Insightful)
This is so true. I live near a major highway and hear all the time about major drug busts that occurred because less-than-intelligent traffickers got pulled over because of something stupid like speeding. They never seem to learn. If you're going to haul a metric shitload of dope across the country, make sure all your lights work and stay close to the speed limit!
Re:Crime solved when Police do their job, News at (Score:5, Insightful)
Usually when someone is doing a big crime they will try very hard to cover up all their tracks. When they do a small one or probably more to the case someone else who is doing the small crime will make more mistakes. What probably happened was some dude who needed money for meth stole the iPad and then traded it for Meth to the dealer.
Re:$35 Million Dollars (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:$35 Million Dollars (Score:3, Insightful)
Mod this up. This is no doubt exactly what happened. People transporting/stashing large amounts of drugs have very important reasons to keep a low profile and not engage in risky, petty crime. They also could afford to buy their own iPad.
They would have traded for much less than $500 worth though, most likely.
Just another reason to go after small crimes (Score:5, Insightful)
Often local police don't pursue small crimes like theft. They don't fingerprint cars that have stolen radios, or follow-up when you report your cell phone stolen (despite the fact that it probably broadcasts a GUID and is GPS trackable with a warrant).
However, going after small crimes can be a way to go after big crimes. Somebody who has stolen an iPad could very well be into some other crime, and when you walk into their house anything in plain sight is fair game. Plus there is the whole bit about nipping problems in the bud - the teenager stealing radios today could be trading in guns in a few years.
Sure, fingerprinting the car with a stolen radio costs more than replacing the radio, but the goal isn't to replace the radio - it is to deter real crime, and send the message that stealing is going to get you in trouble.
Re:$35 Million Dollars (Score:4, Insightful)
Even drug lords cannot afford the new insane iPad prices.
The actual lesson is: Criminals are bloody stupid. If I had $35 million worth of drugs in a place, I would avoid doing anything that could get the police into my place. Like stealing an iPad. Or even picking one up that someone left on the train or bus.
Re:Depressing (Score:5, Insightful)
Except that it takes years of heavy drinking to start turning your insides into mush (mainly liver/kidneys, which are easily repairable), and only a few months of heavy meth use to turn your brain into mush (which is extremely hard to repair).
Alcoholism tends to grow slowly over time. Meth addiction tends to go from nothing to "holy shit, the bat people are everywhere man, you gotta protect me" in no time flat. Especially if you start smoking it.
And if you quit drinking, your body can recupurate and recover from most of the damage. If you quit meth after years of hardcore use, your body is still messed up.
Alcohol is bad. But meth is 1000s of times worse.
Re:Crime solved when Police do their job, News at (Score:5, Insightful)
My elderly mother has an iPad, the best that has happened to her in a long while. She uses Skype on it to keep in touch with relatives in other cities, keeps all her photos on it, and plays games on it when idle. Stealing it from her wouldn't be just a crime, it would be downright cruel.
You think you're being funny, but for every show-off and zealot that waves their iPad around as a sign of their superiority, there's another human being who quietly makes good proper use of it.