Cocaine on 94 percent of Spanish banknotes

[Ghelp]

MADRID (*******) - Traces of cocaine can be found on 94 percent of banknotes in Spain, a country that has one of the world's highest rates of users, according to a study published on Sunday.

The 100 notes tested were collected in gyms, supermarkets and pharmacies across Spain, where increased affluence and falling street prices have made the drug more and more accessible.

Cocaine now sells for as little as 60 euros (40 pounds) a gram, or 5 euros ($7) a line, and it is regularly used by 1.6 percent of Spaniards, up from 0.9 percent in 1999, a government report said this month.

Law enforcement agencies say cocaine is getting cheaper and more popular in Europe because of efforts to boost production by Colombian paramilitaries and rebels who need money for weapons. Spain is a major entry point to Europe for the smugglers.

It was not clear how many of the notes had been used to snort cocaine and how many had picked up traces from other bills, according to the study by the Sailab laboratory, published in the daily El Mundo.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061224/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_spain_cocaine

[budgie]

Think we could scrape together enough notes for a snort?

[Loki77]

Law enforcement agencies say cocaine is getting cheaper and more popular in Europe because of efforts to boost production by Colombian paramilitaries and rebels who need money for weapons. Spain is a major entry point to Europe for the smugglers.

Ibiza nights!!!

[Pandy]

Think we could scrape together enough notes for a snort?

I was thinking along the lines... :-P

[Paul in Saudi2]

I would suspect that this sort of number is an artifact of improved testing. I have heard of similar numbers for US bank notes.

[Kant]

Cocaine is extremley hard to dislodge from bank notes.
1 contaminated banknote put in the same wallet as 5 un-contaminated banknotes will trasfer cocaine residue onto the other 5.

[Lau]

Mmmmmm Cocaiiiiine.... :)

[Paul in Saudi2]

Sorry, I don;t joke about that stuff. People in Europe and North American fuel the demand that kills people in Bolivia and Columbia. One reason for legalizing drugs is to stop spoiled first-world people from funding killers in Latin America.

[Mirror]

If I were a druglord. I would also prefer Spanish money. The Euro is a lot stronger then the Dollar.


Milestone: 150th post

[Ordie]

Several general observations.

1) 9/11 security measures in the United States (i.e. extra security measures, Visa required for international passengers connecting flights at Miami or New York)

2) Extra survellience on the coasts of Colombia forcing narcos to negotiate middlemen through all the borders between Colombia and Mexico. Cutting into the profit margin. Mexican Cartels fighting for position does not help either.

3) Increased demand for synthetic drugs (Crystal Meth) in the US, cutting into the marketshare.

4) The de facto legalization of pot in the US i.e. medical marijuana, cops no longer actively persecute (not worth the paperwork). Lowering the price cutting into profit margins.

5) Increased competition from Afghanistan (heroin) in Europe.

6) Spain has supplanted the US as a destination of choice for Latin Americans seeking jobs. Passenger flights between South America and Spain has doubled since 9/11.

[Cedan]

Mmmmmm Cocaiiiiine.... :)

Mmmmmm drug addictiiiion.... :)

[Paul in Saudi2]

Do not underestimate the long-standing ties between Spain and Columbia. Columbians speak the 'best,' if not the most beautiful Spanish in the world. They are proud of that.

When I married my first wife, we had to order her bridal headpiece from Spain. Other people probably made cheaper, better ones nearby, but Spain is in some ways still the Mother Country. We vacationed in Spain, not in the US or Latin America.

Spain is a lot closer to Columbia than the map would indicate. Selling their crap in Europe, via Spain is a very natural idea.

[Ghelp]

Paul are you Colombian.No mean to be offensive but correct spelling does not have a u.What you wrote is absolutely true in many ways.Ordie good list agree with it.

[Paul in Saudi2]

Please forgive my spelling. I am an American, although I generally live in Latin America. My first wife was a Panamaniac.

[Fiber]

All women are maniacs.

[Paul in Saudi2]

She was something special. It was like being in bed with a burning building. In an nice way.

[budgie]

I was thinking along the lines... :-P

How many lines you think we could get out of one note?