Drug Cartels Now Using UAVs • Hacker News Board

Re: Drug Cartels Now Using UAVs

#31

Post by StavrosK » Wed, Aug 22, 2012, 9:03 AM UTC

base698 wrote: post #9

positr0n wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$16 million is revenue, not profit, but I agree the scale is amazing. I know the price of cocaine in America is thousands of times more than straight out of the lab in Columbia. I wonder how big of a cut each group takes from the massive profit as it works it's way to America...

You can get Columbian coffee for $7/pound in a grocery store in the US. It can't be that much different in the raw manufacturing costs.

Why do people misspell Colombia like that all the time?

Re: Drug Cartels Now Using UAVs

#32

Post by rwmj » Wed, Aug 22, 2012, 9:06 AM UTC

InclinedPlane wrote: post #11

jamierothfeder wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Imagine our elected representatives trying to come up with laws, regulations, tax policies, public health issues (think big tabacco), arrests (there are currently many more alcohol related arrests than drug related arrests). Not saying that this isn't something that shouldn't be considered, just pointing out that it isn't without cost.

Again, what part of this is in any way worse than funneling tens of billions of dollars a year into the hands of the most violent career criminals?

When you said "violet career criminals" I thought of the military industrial complex. They are also being enriched by this, since (for some unknown reason) if it's drugs + a border that seems to mean it deserves a military-style response.

Re: Drug Cartels Now Using UAVs

#33

Post by mmariani » Wed, Aug 22, 2012, 9:08 AM UTC

And there it goes another $US100 million [1] on technology that won't solve the problem.

They should stop this nonsense, legalize the stuff and regulate the market. More tax money could be collected to be invested in society, for instance, to create jobs. Governments that do this could even fund startups, and further create more jobs. Though, not for the right people I guess.

[1] http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4406176

Re: Drug Cartels Now Using UAVs

#34

Post by kitsune_ » Wed, Aug 22, 2012, 9:12 AM UTC

InclinedPlane wrote: post #3

jayfuerstenberg wrote: post #2

$100 million on censors? How about legalize some of the softer drugs they are flying so it becomes less profitable for them to carry out such operations in the first place?

Why not legalize all of the drugs? We've proven that we can't stop people from using drugs. What advantage is there in ensuring that the billions spent on drugs gets funneled into the hands of hardened criminals?

They need to legalize all drugs. Regulate and tax them.

Classify heavy addiction as a disease and treat it as such.

Support the addicts with the taxes from the drugs.

Re: Drug Cartels Now Using UAVs

#35

Post by mistercow » Wed, Aug 22, 2012, 9:13 AM UTC

mdonahoe wrote: post #25

Imagine a scenario like the movie Iron Man: Drug cartel kidnaps Sebastian Thrun and forces him to build an autonomous flying drug mule.

1) You don't need Sebastian Thrun. The groundwork has been laid, so building the product is just a matter of applying what's already out there.

2) Drug cartels don't have to kidnap experts. They can just pay them.

Re: Drug Cartels Now Using UAVs

#36

Post by csense » Wed, Aug 22, 2012, 9:14 AM UTC

> The agency can’t legally shoot down ultralight planes just for carrying weed and blow.

How do they know what they're carrying? I sure hope some US government agency (DoD springs to mind) has the authority to shoot down sketchy aerial vehicles flying into the US from foreign territory and dropping stuff without radio contact or filed flight plans.

Think for a bit what terrorists or foreign powers could do to us if we let our airspace turn into a free-for-all.

Re: Drug Cartels Now Using UAVs

#37

Post by zerostar07 » Wed, Aug 22, 2012, 9:24 AM UTC

I wonder why the "DIY for drugs" movement is taking so long to become mainstream. I mean, it makes sense that the role of drug cartels should be diminished by now. With governments reluctant to legalize anything, an "open drugs" initiative might work.

Re: Drug Cartels Now Using UAVs

#38

Post by FuzzyDunlop » Wed, Aug 22, 2012, 9:50 AM UTC

csense wrote: post #36

> The agency can’t legally shoot down ultralight planes just for carrying weed and blow. How do they know what they're carrying? I sure hope some US government agency (DoD springs to mind) has the authority to shoot down sketchy aerial vehicles flying into the US from foreign territory and dropping stuff without radio contact or filed flight plans. Think for a bit what terrorists or foreign powers could do to us if w…

Honestly? I think it makes a change to read an article that isn't full of fearmongering about terrorism.

Re: Drug Cartels Now Using UAVs

#39

Post by Schwolop » Wed, Aug 22, 2012, 9:51 AM UTC

Wait a cotton picking minute. I abandoned a bunch of robotic product ideas because I couldn't find a market niche that could afford them. I have the skills to make fully autonomous UAVs and AUVs. Here is a very wealthy market niche. Hmmmm....

I'm pretty sure it's legal to build and sell things that could be used for illegal purposes.

So, how many Hacker News reading intercontinental drug dealers are out there?

Re: Drug Cartels Now Using UAVs

#40

Post by viraptor » Wed, Aug 22, 2012, 10:21 AM UTC

kitsune_ wrote: post #34

InclinedPlane wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not legalize all of the drugs? We've proven that we can't stop people from using drugs. What advantage is there in ensuring that the billions spent on drugs gets funneled into the hands of hardened criminals?

They need to legalize all drugs. Regulate and tax them. Classify heavy addiction as a disease and treat it as such. Support the addicts with the taxes from the drugs.

Support addicts... and their families and child services in some cases. I don't want to turn this into "think of the children", but in case we're talking about addicts which need to be taken care of by the government, it's unlikely that the effect will be limited to that single person only. In case that person needs to be treated in a special way, that person may affect the nearby environment too.