Car STOLEN, recovered - but used for drug smuggling

[justalayman]

I would think that the police already have gathered evidence of drug use in the car, to help support any drug smuggling charges.

In fact, I am sort of surprised the car was released by the police back to motherofdragons.

It’s not the fact it was used for drug smuggling or anything else.. it is the concern of residue or chemicals used in making meth that the op needs to be concerned with. The use for smuggling alone is a non issue as far as the insurance company is concerned. Damages resulting from the theft is all they care about. As it stands that, as far as the insurance company is concerned, is limited to the minor body damage. The presence of drug residue or chemicals can greatly alter the cost of repairs.

 

[quincy]

It’s not the fact it was used for drug smuggling or anything else.. it is the concern of residue or chemicals used in making meth that the op needs to be concerned with. The use for smuggling alone is a non issue as far as the insurance company is concerned. Damages resulting from the theft is all they care about. As it stands that, as far as the insurance company is concerned, is limited to the minor body damage. The presence of drug residue or chemicals can greatly alter the cost of repairs.

I understand what you are saying. I am saying that there probably is already evidence of the presence of drugs in the vehicle (including meth) held by the police. No additional drug dog sniffing should be necessary.

 

[HighwayMan]

I would think that the police already have gathered evidence of drug use in the car, to help support any drug smuggling charges.

I doubt it. As far as they're concerned it's a recovered stolen vehicle. Unless they caught the people who stole/used it I doubt there would be very much interest in gathering any evidence - it would really be pointless.

 

[quincy]

I doubt it. As far as they're concerned it's a recovered stolen vehicle. Unless they caught the people who stole/used it I doubt there would be very much interest in gathering any evidence - it would really be pointless.

The police were the ones who spoke of drug smuggling. Drug smuggling is not a crime the police are going to ignore.

 

[HighwayMan]

"Smuggling" is probably too strong of a word. "Transport" is probably more like it.

Apparently they have ignored it since it wasn't impounded for evidence. Finding someone who stole a vehicle after the fact is an exercise in futility especially considering a lack of physical evidence, which apparently exists in this case.

Reminds me of the scene in The Big Lebowski when The Dude gets notified that his stolen car was recovered. He goes to the impound to pick it up and acts like it's actually going to be investigated and the cop who releases it to him gets very sarcastic and tells him additional detectives have been assigned to the case.

 

[cbg]

Maybe I just missed it but do we have any actual proof that the car was used for drug transport? Or are we making that assumption because of type of damage to the interior?

 

[quincy]

Maybe I just missed it but do we have any actual proof that the car was used for drug transport? Or are we making that assumption because of type of damage to the interior?

The police noted the car was probably used for drug smuggling/trafficking.

I don't know if this is something that the police will follow up on - but I would think that the police would not ignore the use made of the stolen vehicle, this whether they know who the car thieves are at this point or not.

In other words, the police don't recover a stolen vehicle and say "case closed."

 

[FlyingRon]

The dangers with Meth chemicals are the ones used to prepare it. I doubt they were making meth in the car in this instance. Over the past years meth has gone from home production (which did end up with a log of toxic houses) to being produced outside the US and then smuggled in as a finished product. Finished meth doesn't have a (human detectable) aroma. It's not too dangerous unless you're handling the raw product directly and then don't wash up. I've held a few pounds of it in my hands and manipulated it with simple plastic gloves.

I suspect the smell is from other things going on in the car at the same time.

I'm still surprised this wasn't totalled by the insurer.