Silk Road forums

Discussion => Shipping => Topic started by: NotAfraid on July 16, 2011, 09:10 am

Title: Made a mistake, should I be worried?
Post by: NotAfraid on July 16, 2011, 09:10 am
So I posted some prescription drugs today from UK to somewhere in EU, reasonably large quantity. I sent signed delivery and filled in the little customs form (drugs were disguised with a common item sold on ebay which I listed as the customs item)... here's where I made a mistake, when I came to pay I didn't have the cash in my wallet so just instinctively paid on card. I immediately regretted it afterwards. If the package gets picked up at customs what are the chances they would backtrace the purchase to the post office where I paid for it and do anything about this?

Obviously it's fairly unlikely to be opened at customs but if it was and they found it what are they most likely to do?
Title: Re: Made a mistake, should I be worried?
Post by: NotAfraid on July 16, 2011, 06:32 pm
No replies so let me ask a more specific question.

What would happen if customs did open a package and find, say, 400 viagra or valiums or whatever, £200 value (what I paid)? How serious are they going to take that, are they likely to be motivated to investigate or just confiscate? Anybody know the UK punishments for sending that amount of something like that in a package? What if the item were to bounce at the end, get sent tot he fake return sender I put and then that return sender opens the package, finds the pills and decides to hand them in. How serious will they take that?

Bleh, I suck balls.
Title: Re: Made a mistake, should I be worried?
Post by: RickyRango on July 17, 2011, 12:02 am
Eh, I wouldnt' worry about it.  What's done is done.  Try not to do it again, but don't sweat it.

For one, for any of this to matter, you'll have to get caught, which chances are pretty small since you concealed the shipment.  Even if they did catch you, 9/10 they'll just seize it and send a love letter.  For the most part, a lot of law enforcement and judicial punks don't even understand Bitcoin, or SR for that matter.

Title: Re: Made a mistake, should I be worried?
Post by: phubaiblues on July 17, 2011, 02:20 am
Idea is to be careful, and realize you aren't exactly public enemy #1, where there are banks of ace hackers on computers trying to track you down...mostly use common sense, and something like this, I'd just figure 'whoops!' and not do it again...this kind of thing isn't for everybody...some sellers realize it's just too nervewracking, and sensibly get out...up to you, but I just wouldn't do it again, and be a little more cautious in the future...
Title: Re: Made a mistake, should I be worried?
Post by: NotAfraid on July 17, 2011, 11:19 am
Hey guys thanks for the replies.

It's not then being onto BTC or Silk Road or anything like that I'm worried about. I'm worried that I purchased partially tracked delivery on my debit card. If the item gets picked up at customs or bounces from the original address back to the fake address in my city eventually there's a good chance it'll be opened. At that point I'm worried that the tracking no could easily be traced back to the post office it was sent from and then my card I paid on.

The question is just whether they'd bother with this line of enquiry or how easy it is for gov to get those kinds of details or whether the post office gives out card numbers at any request and whether banks would then immediately give out identity  information associated with the number.

:/

I wasn't a paranoid seller at all until now, sold plenty in the past but I fee like paying on card was a biiiiig mistake.
Title: Re: Made a mistake, should I be worried?
Post by: joeblow2 on July 17, 2011, 12:54 pm
Good for you on bringing this issue to the Forum.  Many times newer people (especially sellers) are unwilling to do that.

IF you are going to keep selling, in my opinion, one thing you have to not let take hold is "narcissistic paranoia".  I don't mean that to be in any way derogatory.  But UNLESS there is some reason for LE to be specifically targeting you already, they are not going to be looking back at debit cards to see who sent a shipment of that value and description (one unscheduled item or one Class IV item). 

However, for your buyer's protection (at least to the USA) if you divide shipments into qtys of one month's prescription or less (say 120 pills) then even if that buyer has had prior shipments pulled by customs, he will most likely get nothing more than a love letter.

Quantities of 400-500 pills of one variety are at the break point for distribution quantity and *might* get your buyer a visit.

Title: Re: Made a mistake, should I be worried?
Post by: phubaiblues on July 17, 2011, 06:54 pm
Well said.  We should probably start a thread on this alone, as I find it commonplace.  I'm actually watching netflix reruns of '24' with Jack Bauer and his room full of computer aces who can track down anybody, anytime, anywhere, and I swear sometimes it seems like *everybody* must be watching that.  I'm prone to it too, and fight it off...when I walk to the mailbox, I start seeing fbi agents *everywhere* and also...why is my keyboard lagging?  *KEYLOGGER!!!*  or...I hear this *clicking* noise on my phone...etc etc etc...

It's good to be cautious, and I appreciate the OP's candid disclosure, as it's useful, and we should be careful...but if anybody here has ever sat in a motel room with a bunch of clowns looking out the window after a nightlong jag on cocaine...well, then you know how insidious that crap is..."Did you hear that!?"  ... "See that light!?"   "Out there, in the trees...a light!" and on and on...

We want to avoid that, and be sensible...careful, but common sense also...Again: Most busts come as the result of talking too much, and snitches, plain and simple...all this high tech stuff...I spend *hours* cleaning up linux distros etc...when what I *really* need to be careful of, is blabbing in the barrooms...

How many busts seem to come because some idiot carrying 50 lbs of heroin ran a red light or got caught speeding?  More than get caught thru some computer penetration I'll wager...Hell, look how much trouble the US had catching the Whitey Bulger?  or OBL?  Shit...mostly we bring this shit on ourselves, but we don't want to overworry it either...that's no fun...

<snip>

IF you are going to keep selling, in my opinion, one thing you have to not let take hold is "narcissistic paranoia".  I don't mean that to be in any way derogatory.  But UNLESS there is some reason for LE to be specifically targeting you already, they are not going to be looking back at debit cards to see who sent a shipment of that value and description (one unscheduled item or one Class IV item). 

<snip>
Title: Re: Made a mistake, should I be worried?
Post by: NotAfraid on July 18, 2011, 03:07 pm
Thanks for the replies guys. I'm normally not particularly paranoid, I would describe my paranoia level as 'healthy' I certainly don't think of government as like the guys in 24, in fact my general opinion of LE is that they are mostly incompetent, just like all state institutions.

But in this situation I feel like it wouldn't be so hard for them to look up the tracking no in the UK, and link it to the post office who would have it linked to my card. I definitely would like to believe what Joe is saying that they aren't likely to care about some random package like this, as that is a small weight off my mind... I'm just not sure what their policy is or isn't if they intercept a smallish (but not that small) package like this.

I think I like the idea of limiting packages to 100 at a time tops from now on as well, for the buyer's protection and to make shipping discreetly more simple.

Thanks for the replies guys and if anything ever comes of it I will be sure to let you guys know so nobody needs to make the same silly mistake. Even if it is nothing, just for peace of mind, remember guys: if you have to go into the post office, bring cash, it's the original anonymous currency :)