# You find a bag with meth lab stuff and $100,000 USD in it... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 3, 2010, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-a-bag-with-meth-lab-stuff-and-100-000-usd-in-it/562758 "2010-12-03T03:52:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2010, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-a-bag-with-meth-lab-stuff-and-100-000-usd-in-it/562758/81 "2010-12-04T18:07:08Z")
I’m one of the poorest people on this board and yet I wouldn’t take a dime. I would probably take that bag right back where I found it and never look back. I don’t want any part of any drug money. I once lived with a small time dealer but I saw enough then to know it’s not a good thing for anyone, much less anyone with a family to get involved in. And it is involvement when someone has dropped 100,000 dollars on the road. That is too suspicious there. So paranoid or not, I wouldn’t keep it. And I’d still be freaked out just knowing I had it and someone might know I had it. But honestly I’d rather track down the owner than go to the police. My experiences with them have been that bad. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2010, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-a-bag-with-meth-lab-stuff-and-100-000-usd-in-it/562758/82 "2010-12-04T18:19:55Z")
> [@Fell\_through\_the\_Ice](#): > > :rolleyes: OK, look, the scenario in no way could have been any kind of set-up or drop-off for whoever. No one’s gonna just throw a bag into the middle of the road and hope the right person stops and takes it. > > I thought it was obvious from the scenario posted that something happened along the lines of “dumbass druggie person put the bag on the roof while getting his keys out and then forgot it and drove off and the bag fell off on the road”. > > I guess I just don’t get the fear and paranoia here. 😕 Hey, you made the scenario! You thought Dopers wouldn’t consider every angle? I thought the drug equipment bit was in there to make it different than most hypothetical ‘mystery money’ scenarios that involve few details. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-a-bag-with-meth-lab-stuff-and-100-000-usd-in-it/562758/83 "2010-12-05T00:21:06Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > Or the Hoff. Goddammit! Stole my joke! :mad: 😃 Anyway, I would totally keep the money. I wouldn’t bother turning in the rest to the police either, in order to avoid any scrutiny/questioning. I’d probably bury the drug-making stuff as that would be a better option than going through some hazmat disposal process. I wouldn’t be paranoid at all, because $100k really isn’t all that much money to alarm the feds about unless you’re stupid and try to deposit it all into one account. AFAICT, the only red flags that occur WRT the IRS or any other federal agencies is when amounts exceed $10k…and then a hold gets put on your money. That’s what happened to me and was explained to me by my bank when I inherited $15k from my grandmother. I would have zero qualms about going out with scads of cash and buying some things I wanted, like a big TV, a new computer, etc. Cash purchases in amounts less than a few grand aren’t going to alarm anyone. The rest I would probably do what other “Keeper Dopers” have suggested…cash purchases for gasoline, groceries, etc and some small “extra” deposits into my bank account to cover bills. Nobody would notice, and I would be using that money for a better purpose than the drug dealers would have, so fuck them. No moral qualms about it at all, not one iota. Found money is kept money, no matter the amount. Unless of course it was something like seeing someone drop their wallet at a store or something…I would immediately return that to its owner. But obvious drug money? No fucking way. Its mine. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-a-bag-with-meth-lab-stuff-and-100-000-usd-in-it/562758/84 "2010-12-05T01:40:51Z")
Wait, KITTY LITTER is used to make meth? Damn. > [@Fell\_through\_the\_Ice](#): > > But possibly, taking it to the cops is what would get you “involved”. They would take your name, and from then on there would be a record that you were involved. You might have to testify in court. Your name and address might end up in the hands of the bad guys. > > Whereas if you just went home with it and kept your mouth shut, you would arguably be at less risk. And somewhat wealthier too. 😃 Well, in that case, I’d just leave it where it is. Besides, ever stop and think that whoever left it there might come looking for it? I’d be far more scared of that then the cops. Look, FTTI, you asked what people would do, and they told you. Don’t get all butthurt when their answers differ from your’s. However, IF I was going to spend the money? Penguins seasons tickets. Oh yeah. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-a-bag-with-meth-lab-stuff-and-100-000-usd-in-it/562758/85 "2010-12-05T05:41:07Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Besides, ever stop and think that whoever left it there might come looking for it? No, because unless they arrive just as you’re putting it in your car, they’re never going to find you. They can’t just go house to house, searching for a big pile of money. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-a-bag-with-meth-lab-stuff-and-100-000-usd-in-it/562758/86 "2010-12-05T05:43:14Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > I’d return it. Not because I’m a good person but because I’m one of those people that always get caught. Always. No matter what. That’s why I never do anything wrong, I know for a fact that it will end badly for me. Yeah, same here. Knowing my luck, it’d be counterfeit money and I’d be doubly screwed. :smack: Same luck would have the cops grilling me for days making me somehow prove that stuff wasn’t mine in the first place. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-a-bag-with-meth-lab-stuff-and-100-000-usd-in-it/562758/87 "2010-12-05T07:44:08Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Wait, KITTY LITTER is used to make meth? Damn. It’s much worse then that: it has to be _used_ kitty litter! ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-a-bag-with-meth-lab-stuff-and-100-000-usd-in-it/562758/88 "2010-12-05T12:05:58Z")
I’d take the money and run. Last time I looked Police Departments weren’t short of cash. _However_, there is another trap into which one might fall by doing that: suppose — bearing in mind that I couldn’t tell meth from sugar or meth equipment from baking accessories — that this was nothing to do with meth, but paraphernalia purposed by local police for an illicit manufacturing facility of their own, using stolen police funds ? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-a-bag-with-meth-lab-stuff-and-100-000-usd-in-it/562758/89 "2010-12-05T14:26:41Z")
Take the money, burn the meth lab. To launder, off the top of my head: Go on vacation somewhere slightly less rigorous in its fraud prevention practices than one’s own country. Take the cash with me (praying I don’t get searched on the way in), set up a bank account with the money, choosing a bank that has internet access. Link this account to a PayPal account in a fake name, and link that PayPal account to an eBay account. Put a lot of low-ticket crap on eBay, use an internet cafe to win the saleable items. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-a-bag-with-meth-lab-stuff-and-100-000-usd-in-it/562758/90 "2010-12-05T16:08:23Z")
I’d turn the $100k in to the cops. I’m sure that the $70k that goes into evidence will be around for me to claim in 90 days. When I pick up my twenty grand I’ll put it to good use. ---
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-a-bag-with-meth-lab-stuff-and-100-000-usd-in-it/562758/91 "2010-12-05T16:24:14Z")
If this actually happened, I’d turn all the stuff in, but I get that the point of this is more “what would you do if you suddenly had this totally unexpected windfall” than “what if you found drug money” Right now, there are a lot of things. My impulsive side says take a really, really kickass vacation. Go somewhere beautiful, stay somewhere opulent, maybe take a friend or two with me… I don’t know if I’d go to Rwanda or Indonesia to see the gorillas or orangutans, or if I’d go somewhere in France instead. My more practical side says either put it toward school or toward a decent apartment. Another part says divvy it up for Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![Stringer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Stringer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringer)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-a-bag-with-meth-lab-stuff-and-100-000-usd-in-it/562758/92 "2010-12-05T17:58:31Z")
I would rather burn the money than give it to the fucking police. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-a-bag-with-meth-lab-stuff-and-100-000-usd-in-it/562758/93 "2010-12-05T18:35:54Z")
> [@Stringer](#): > > I would rather burn the money than give it to the fucking police. If one felt truly obligated to turn it in. Perhaps a lawyer could facilitate proper documentation that you have indeed turned in $x and that absent clear documentation that a jury would agree with that this money belongs to person x/is ransom money/whatever that the city will return $x or $x plus legal fees to sue the city in question. ---
**Author:** ![Add99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/977dab/32.png) [@Add99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Add99)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-a-bag-with-meth-lab-stuff-and-100-000-usd-in-it/562758/94 "2010-12-05T21:50:42Z")
I would buy $100,000 worth of meth making materials. I already have the equipment. Duh. ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-a-bag-with-meth-lab-stuff-and-100-000-usd-in-it/562758/95 "2010-12-06T00:01:43Z")
Waiting for someone to say, “Buy a $100,000 worth of meth.” Oh, never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-a-bag-with-meth-lab-stuff-and-100-000-usd-in-it/562758/96 "2010-12-06T00:30:57Z")
> [@user\_hostile](#): > > It’s much worse then that: it has to be _used_ kitty litter! Please, please tell me I’m being whooshed here. ---
**Author:** ![Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_First_Time)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-a-bag-with-meth-lab-stuff-and-100-000-usd-in-it/562758/97 "2010-12-06T01:15:00Z")
My decision would be dictated by the fact that I’ve read that some drug dealers put GPS devices in their stuff. So I’d: 1. Take the duffel bag to the nearest police station 2. Leave the bag and drug stuff on their back door, take the money. 3. Put the money in a pillow case, go to the nearest laundry mat and wash it - hopefully disabling any remaining GPS stuff put in with the money. Air tumble dry 4. Go to a bank, get a safety deposit box, and place money in the box. That way the money would be safe, secure, and not in my house. 5. Use the cash as needed to pay my bills - groceries, gas etc. plus taking cash to various placed like WalMart and the post office to pay other bills via money orders. 6. Put several thousand in the Salvation Army kettles to even out the karma. I drive a great deal for my work, and I’ve thought about this exact thing a time or two. ---
**Author:** ![Fell\_through\_the\_Ice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9adbd/32.png) [@Fell\_through\_the\_Ice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fell_through_the_Ice)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-a-bag-with-meth-lab-stuff-and-100-000-usd-in-it/562758/98 "2010-12-06T18:31:15Z")
> [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](#): > > 1. Take the duffel bag to the nearest police station > 2. Leave the bag and drug stuff on their back door, take the money. Way to get arrested, dude! You do know that police stations are wired inside and out with security cameras, right? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Atrael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Atrael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atrael)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-a-bag-with-meth-lab-stuff-and-100-000-usd-in-it/562758/99 "2010-12-06T18:36:17Z")
Wow, some of you guys are way more paraniod and give way more credit to the bad guys and the IRS than they deserve. As someone else mentioned, unless the bad guy sees you pick up the bag and follows you home, how the hell are they ever going to find you? Assuming you don’t live in a town of 1000 people or something, but in a fairly large metropolitan area, there is literally no way of them finding you. Unless you do something stupid like turn it into the cops for them to record your information as a witness. Same with the IRS, unless you do some truely stupid things, the US has enough consumer spending that you’re not going to raise flags by substituting cash for some of your daily expenses. Hell, assuming you’re middle class, there are a large number of luxury items you can buy that won’t raise any eyebrows. I’ve seen people by 60 inch flat screens from my local Walmart and pay cash. Didn’t raise much of a fuss except the manager came over to empty the drawer right after the sale. New laptop from Best Buy? Not a problem, iPod? Same thing. Now sure you probably couldn’t go in and buy $20,000 at one time in cash without raising some eyebrows, but there are 4 Best Buy stores within like a 20 minute drive of me. Buying something here and there spread out to 4 stores in a month long time period? Unless you’re already under investigation for something, no way you’ll be picked out. Especially this time of year with all the Christmas shopping going on. Add in places like Walmart, SAMS club or BJ’s, and you can buy all the toys you want with nobody the wiser. Need an addition put on your house? Or some other renovations? I’m willing to bet that most smaller contrators that are 10 people or less would be happy to take cash, and not bat an eyebrow. I could go through $100,000 in probably 6 to 8 months and not make a blip on anyones radar. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Edie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/50afbb/32.png) [@Little\_Edie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Edie)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-a-bag-with-meth-lab-stuff-and-100-000-usd-in-it/562758/100 "2010-12-06T21:40:07Z")
This actually happened to someone I know (not the meth, the money and possible connection to drugs or at least crime). She found a duffel bag of cash, a few thousand Euros, in a rarely-used public washroom, off-season. Her husband wanted her to put it back but instead she called the police. In the meantime some skeezy looking men passed by in four wheelers, slowed down, then kept on driving. She registered her information with the police, who took the bag, and lo and behold a few months later they gave her back the entire amount as it had gone unclaimed. But then this was only a few thousand, and in Europe. I do think she and her husband were a bit scared at the beginning but anyone watching would have known that, after they were involved, it was all in the police’s hands. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-a-bag-with-meth-lab-stuff-and-100-000-usd-in-it/562758.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-a-bag-with-meth-lab-stuff-and-100-000-usd-in-it/562758.md?page=6)