# How could any cop (or human) resist this? (huge amount of drug money found) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 17, 2007, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-any-cop-or-human-resist-this-huge-amount-of-drug-money-found/396323 "2007-03-17T10:54:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2007, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-any-cop-or-human-resist-this-huge-amount-of-drug-money-found/396323/21 "2007-03-18T00:16:09Z")
[QUOTE=Cartooniverse] It’s mob money. I don’t work for mob money but hey, that’s me. [/QUOTE] Hubby felt the same way about defending a couple of potential clients. Do it once, and you are owned, whether you like it or not. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2007, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-any-cop-or-human-resist-this-huge-amount-of-drug-money-found/396323/22 "2007-03-18T00:30:00Z")
[QUOTE=fetus] I’ve never heard of the Mexican dollar, **Bosda** , nor of a currency where 206 million is small change. [/QUOTE] 206,000,000 Turkish Lira = $146 USD ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2007, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-any-cop-or-human-resist-this-huge-amount-of-drug-money-found/396323/23 "2007-03-18T02:54:20Z")
[QUOTE=KGS] 206,000,000 Turkish Lira = $146 USD [/QUOTE] Didn’t they just knock six zeroes off the Turkish lira a couple of years ago? Or has it devalued itself that much again? Also, I believe Mexico and some other countries use the $ sign to indicate pesos, so you could _say_ ‘$206 million Mexican’, but that would be 206 million Mexican pesos, not dollars. ---
**Author:** ![GiantRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@GiantRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GiantRat)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2007, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-any-cop-or-human-resist-this-huge-amount-of-drug-money-found/396323/24 "2007-03-18T03:02:50Z")
With a little experience of this in my hand, I’ll say that the cash is only cash. If you’re thinking straight and ethically (happy to say I never strayed from the path, at least as pertains to the subject at hand), the money has _no value_ . It’s evidence, and nothing more. If you take a chunk out of the pile of cash you’re (a)reducing the amount for which the shit’em (in parlance) will be seen by a jury as having had - no small consideration, (b)you’re just as bad as the shit’em, and © the shit’em can (and will) say, “BS - I had $405 million, not $305 million. The cops are lying.” After the investigation into _that_ , the whole case will be thrown out because a bunch of jurors just learned that they can’t trust the police. Begin downward spiral… ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2007, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-any-cop-or-human-resist-this-huge-amount-of-drug-money-found/396323/25 "2007-03-18T16:40:15Z")
[QUOTE=fetus] I’ve never heard of the Mexican dollar, **Bosda** , nor of a currency where 206 million is small change. [/QUOTE] [Germany, mid-November, 1923.](http://www.joelscoins.com/exhibger2.htm) > [@](#): > > On November 1 100 Billion Mark would buy 3 pounds of meat. > Bread is 3 Billion Mark a loaf. > On November 15 100 Billion Mark would buy 2 glasses of beer > Bread is 80 Billion Mark a loaf. ---
**Author:** ![FRDE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e68b1a/32.png) [@FRDE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FRDE)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2007, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-any-cop-or-human-resist-this-huge-amount-of-drug-money-found/396323/26 "2007-03-19T08:46:57Z")
A few weeks ago a friend of mine told me something rather interesting. She used to work in a local government canteen and got friendly with a bunch of guys who did the really filthy work (like clearing out a house where some old lady has been dead for six weeks in mid Summer - with a herd of cats). They said it was amazing the things that would turn up, in one case they found £60,000 in cash in some old lady’s place. They considered it fair compensation for lousy wages and disgusting work. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2007, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-any-cop-or-human-resist-this-huge-amount-of-drug-money-found/396323/27 "2007-03-19T15:45:14Z")
If this had been in the US, and not in some areas that are known for ‘creative’ law enforcement, I’d say that the vast majority of the cops involved would be honest enough not to steal any of it. They rest would be smart enough to know they’d get caught eventually. Mexican cops, on the other hand… ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2007, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-any-cop-or-human-resist-this-huge-amount-of-drug-money-found/396323/28 "2007-03-19T16:30:38Z")
[QUOTE=Shodan] Perhaps the IRS would notice if someone’s spending suddenly showed an upturn after such a case. Crime doesn’t pay because criminals tend not to be capable of delaying gratification. If someone could steal a million from the stash, hide it away in a safety deposit box for ten or fifteen years, and then spend it slowly, they _might_ get away with it. But the temptation towards “easy come, easy go” is hard to resist for those who can’t resist the temptation of “who’s gonna miss a million?” either. Regards, Shodan [/QUOTE] Not only that but if I were running a police department I would know who was on such raids. I would have all of the members of the raid checked on from time to time to see if they were living beyond their police pay. As say, at least one of them is bound to get careless and then the whole thing comes apart. ---
**Author:** ![WorkInProgress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@WorkInProgress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WorkInProgress)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2007, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-any-cop-or-human-resist-this-huge-amount-of-drug-money-found/396323/29 "2007-03-19T19:11:04Z")
I have an uncle who works in drug enforcement and has been involved in some very serious busts. They video tape the whole bust for evidence. From the contact with the street level idiot (if possible) to the raid and seizure. They even taped the inventory of the evidence. I am sure some slick lawyer out there would crucify them on the stand if they did not. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2007, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-any-cop-or-human-resist-this-huge-amount-of-drug-money-found/396323/30 "2007-03-19T19:24:04Z")
[QUOTE=drachillix] Cops rarely work alone in this type of scenario. I would not doubt for a second that the occasional bundle of hundreds falls into someones pocket, but cash on this scale takes up some space and no matter how much gear you are wearing its not going to be easy to squirrel away more than 10-15 stacks of $100 bills (250K) without anyone noticing you got pockets full of something. If it was in $20 dollar bills you would be lucky to get $50K. [/QUOTE] Exactly. In order to steal any non-trivial amount of money, you would need to collude with several other people who you’d have to trust not to not only keep your secret, but to not get caught themselves. You’d also need to be lucky enough to not have the facts of the case contradict your story, thus revealing your illegal conduct. Most illegal operations with that type of money are highly organized, keep detailed records, etc. Millions of dollars in cash takes up a lot of space. You’d need to keep all the people you caught detained while you hide handfuls of money. It’s a logistical nightmare. An dishonest cop would be better off alerting the dealers before hand for a kickback, instead of trying to steal from them after busting them. Both acts would require similar forethought and dishonesty. ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2007, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-any-cop-or-human-resist-this-huge-amount-of-drug-money-found/396323/31 "2007-03-19T19:45:57Z")
It looks like it doesn’t have to be a huge sum of money to entice some American cops to partake of the spoils. They confiscate [World Series tickets](http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/mlb/03/19/officers.tickets.ap/index.html) from scalpers and then use them themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-any-cop-or-human-resist-this-huge-amount-of-drug-money-found/396323/32 "2007-03-20T07:29:33Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Germany, mid-November, 1923. That’s cheating and you know it! However, I concede that I should’ve thought of that. > [@CBEscapee](#): > > It looks like it doesn’t have to be a huge sum of money to entice some American cops to partake of the spoils. > > They confiscate World Series tickets from scalpers and then use them themselves. I’m not surprised. As I said upthread, I’ve witnessed, firsthand, a cop taking part of a simple possession (marijuana) bust to smoke later. (It was pretty blatant–he told his buddy not to get an evidence bag, and instead stuffed it into an empty cigarette pack lying nearby, and put that in his shirt pocket.) And I’ve heard all kinds of stories about American cops (particularly in San Antonio and San Francisco, although I’m sure it happens in lots of other places too) simply taking a stoner’s stash for themselves and letting them off scott-free. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-any-cop-or-human-resist-this-huge-amount-of-drug-money-found/396323/33 "2007-03-20T08:21:11Z")
[QUOTE=fetus] I’ve never heard of the Mexican dollar, **Bosda** , nor of a currency where 206 million is small change. Anyway, I suspect the answer to the OP’s question is, “they don’t”. What, you think the smugglers are going to say “No, actually, we made $306 million.”? In the only drug bust I’ve seen firsthand (for simple possession), one of the cops blatantly put about half of the weed in his shirt pocket to smoke later and reported whatever dope was left. The culprit, a player on a Pac-10 football team caught by the campus police, was happy to be officially caught with a lesser bag considering the trouble he was going to be in with his coach. [/QUOTE] The is both the USD and Mexican peso sign. Many stores in Mexico indicate prizes "US" if they’re in USD. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-any-cop-or-human-resist-this-huge-amount-of-drug-money-found/396323/34 "2007-03-20T08:45:19Z")
[QUOTE=Nava] The is both the USD and Mexican peso sign. Many stores in Mexico indicate prizes "US" if they’re in USD. [/QUOTE] Ignorance fought, thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-any-cop-or-human-resist-this-huge-amount-of-drug-money-found/396323/35 "2007-03-20T12:05:14Z")
[QUOTE=fetus] FWIW, there are standard, widely-acknowledged prices for drugs. While you’re unlikely to find them in Consumer Reports, anyone with their finger on the pulse of any given city’s underground can figure them out pretty easily. While prices vary a little bit at the lowest levels, and can vary greatly from one region to another based on supply and demand (for example, cocaine is easily twice as expensive in Chicago as in Arizona) it’s easy for someone plugged in to the scene to estimate the price of a given amount of a drug they’re familiar with. That said, the cops could make a number up and nobody’s going to correct them. [/QUOTE] So, if the authorities capture a huge stash of drugs…does that make the price on the street go down, or up? ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-any-cop-or-human-resist-this-huge-amount-of-drug-money-found/396323/36 "2007-03-20T17:18:21Z")
[QUOTE=fetus] Ignorance fought, thanks! [/QUOTE] The word “dollar” seems to come from Spanish: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3\_180.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_180.html) And the $ symbol is descended from “Pesos”: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3\_178.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_178.html) ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-any-cop-or-human-resist-this-huge-amount-of-drug-money-found/396323/37 "2007-03-20T17:25:54Z")
[QUOTE=Cartooniverse] I was offered cash to work on a porn movie about 15 years ago. Two days on a weekend of work. I was told to name my price. I said without hesitation, $ 2,000.00 a day cash" and the guy coolly said, " That won’t be a problem. " [/QUOTE] But did you actually have the $2,000 to pay him? ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-any-cop-or-human-resist-this-huge-amount-of-drug-money-found/396323/38 "2007-03-20T18:30:47Z")
[QUOTE=brickbacon] An dishonest cop would be better off alerting the dealers before hand for a kickback, instead of trying to steal from them after busting them. Both acts would require similar forethought and dishonesty. [/QUOTE] Furthermore, a dealer is in a risky game, might be picked up at any time and expose you for a better deal. And again, if the dishonest money is to be of any use you must spend it and living beyond your means is a commone tipoff that something is going on. During the investigation of New york police curruption in the Jimmy Walker administration it was pointe out that a police lieutenan owned an apratment building in Palm Beach, Several expensive autos and one of his children was going to a costly private school. When asked for an explanation he answered that his wife took in laundr. Possibly apocryphal but illustrative of the difficulty of hiding money when you are working for wages. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2007, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-any-cop-or-human-resist-this-huge-amount-of-drug-money-found/396323/39 "2007-03-21T08:11:05Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > So, if the authorities capture a huge stash of drugs…does that make the price on the street go down, or up? IME as a past user of a number of substances: Depends on the other supply and demand factors involved, and on the drugs. Weed markets are almost completely unaffected by big busts, especially in warm climates, because most of the best stuff is homegrown anyway; most people who buy chronic in this part of the world are two to four degrees from the guy who harvests it, at the most. And it’s not hard to fill a Rolodex with pot dealers’ phone numbers if you smoke with enough people. Popular imported drugs like cocaine and heroin are different, but not that much different in a border state. A big border bust might choke off a major supply chain in Chicago (I’m speculating here–I don’t know much about how it works up there), but the Arizona coke community might hardly notice because there’s so much of the stuff pouring across the line at any given moment. Designer drugs can be a whole 'nother animal. In California you might meet a handful of people who move thousands of dollars worth of ecstasy regularly, and major labs are common enough that a big bust would probably force you to scramble but you’d find another source. OTOH, early-2000s Arizona was “served” entirely by one lab in Phoenix, and when that lab went down it meant nobody had E in the whole state for a couple of years (they still might not, I wouldn’t know). I never took E, but when I lived in Arizona at the time, it was my understanding that you only got E if you or a close friend were willing to drive to California for it; and even then, only in small amounts. The guy who took it across the state line probably could’ve inflated the price by 50-200% if he played his cards right. Long story short: a big bust either has no tangible effect or drives the price up, IM(limited)E. I haven’t been involved in any of that for a good while and I didn’t know much about it at the time, so MMV. ---
**Author:** ![GiantRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@GiantRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GiantRat)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2007, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-any-cop-or-human-resist-this-huge-amount-of-drug-money-found/396323/40 "2007-03-22T02:58:59Z")
[QUOTE=David Simmons] Not only that but if I were running a police department I would know who was on such raids. I would have all of the members of the raid checked on from time to time to see if they were living beyond their police pay. As say, at least one of them is bound to get careless and then the whole thing comes apart. [/QUOTE] Sure, privacy laws be damned. “Those laws don’t apply to us - we’re police officers!” Oh, wait, that’s what started the whole thread in the first place. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-any-cop-or-human-resist-this-huge-amount-of-drug-money-found/396323.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-any-cop-or-human-resist-this-huge-amount-of-drug-money-found/396323.md?page=3)