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Fly the Drug-Addled Skies of Aeroflot

March 13, 2009 at 2:31 PM | 1 Comment

Often we wonder why airlines still remind you, at the beginning of every flight, that "this is a non-smoking flight," because who can remember the last time open flame was welcomed in the sky? Of course, this innocent reminder goes for the flight attendants just as much as the passengers, but apparently needs to be broadened into "this is a non-bonging flight" for some Russian crew.

Thanks to Gadling, we've been turned on to this video of a possible Aeroflot crew not only smoking in the galley, but fashioning a plastic bottle into a personal bong for smoking hash. Aside from the obvious major no-nos associated with this (like setting something on fire, doing drugs on the job and doing drugs on the job when you're job is to protect the safety of others), we wonder at their stupidity to then film it and post it online.

If anyone happens to speak Russian and can translate their giggly words, which we bet are saying "oh man, this is totally going to get us fired," then let us know in the comments, because from now on, we'll be wondering what exactly is going down in the big galley in the back.

Related Stories:
· Russian flight crew smoking pot mid-flight [Gadling]
· Pilot and Stewardess smoke hashish during flight [LiveLeak]
· Drug Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

Second SAA Flight Crew Accused of Drug Smuggling

February 17, 2009 at 9:26 AM | 0 Comments

We know it's a tough time for everyone working in the travel industry, but have things really sunk this low for South African Airways employees?

For the second time in a month, the entire crew of an SAA flight from Johannesburg to London Heathrow was arrested on suspicion of drug smuggling. The first incident took place January 21, when 15 crew members were arrested at customs and £310,000 pounds of cocaine and cannabis were seized. Apparently Heathrow cops were not all that concerned, because the crew was released on bail, with a hearing set for March 23.

Then this weekend, the entire 15-person crew of another SAA flight was arrested at Heathrow, this time with £250,000 of the white stuff. Makes us wonder how many flight crews have gotten away with this sort of thing!

· Airline crew held over 'cocaine haul' [Telegraph]
· Drug smuggling coverage [Jaunted]
· Drug travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: worlddiscoverer]

Where is Michael Phelps' Bong?

February 2, 2009 at 8:58 AM | 2 Comments

In case you were too involved with your seven-layer dip last night and missed the news, the ubiquitous British tabloids caught Michael Phelps smoking the pot. Apparently he was rocking out at a house party at the University of South Carolina in November, when someone snapped a pic of him using a marijuana smoking device.

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Tijuana: Now More Dangerous Than Baghdad?

January 24, 2009 at 12:35 PM | 0 Comments

You know the violence is getting out of hand in Tijuana when Marines from nearby Camp Pendleton in California are now effectively prohibited from visiting. The new rules apply to 44,000 Marines, many of whom who have recently been in Iraq and Afghanistan or are there now, and were implemented during the Christmas holiday and extended indefinitely. Base commanders cite Tijuana's shocking rise in gang violence, with 843 killings in 2008 compared with only 337 in 2007. Marines can still visit Tijuana, but it takes plenty of planning and the proper authorization. According to USA Today, Marines now need written approval from a lieutenant colonel or higher-ranking officer to cross the border, and must also "complete anti-terrorism training, receive a military security briefing, and 'use the buddy system.'" Sounds like a lot of time and effort to go through for some R&R. The irony of preventing people who've spent time in Middle East war zones from guzzling cheap tequila in TJ isn't lost on anyone, but the military seems to have taken a better-safe-than-sorry approach. After all, Baghdad might be dangerous, but Tijuana is where authorities recently nabbed Santiago Meza Lopez, who confessed to dissolving the bodies of 300 murdered enemies of a drug kingpin in vats of acid. Any reasonable person would proceed with caution.

[Photo: USA Today]

Related Stories:
· Tijuana Off-Limits To U.S. Marines [USA Today]
· Base Commanders Issue New Restrictions on Travel to Mexico [Stars and Stripes]
· Alleged Acid Disposal Man for Mexico Gang Nabbed [AP]
· Tijuana Tourism Struggles as Violence Itensifies [Jaunted]

Miss Sinaloa Wrapped Up In Guns And Cash Rap

December 24, 2008 at 9:00 AM | 0 Comments

Laura Zúñiga, a Mexican pageant beauty from Sinaloa who was set to represent her country at Miss International 2009, was arrested Tuesday in Guadalajara, riding in an SUV packed with seven men, two assault rifles, three pistols, 500 rounds of ammo, 16 cell phones and $53,000 in cash. Cops say one of the guys is a leader of the Juárez drug cartel, an organization that has loose links to the Pacific Cartel.

The alleged drug lieutenant is also Zúñiga's boyfriend, who she claims kidnapped her and forced her into the exceedingly suspicious vehicle. That's not so hard to believe in Mexico, where even anti-kidnapping experts get taken hostage in news so ironic it'd be funny if it weren't so tragic.

Hundreds of people are kidnapped in Mexico every year, and the US State Department has this warning:

Kidnapping, including the kidnapping of non-Mexicans, continues at alarming rates. So-called express kidnappings, an attempt to get quick cash in exchange for the release of an individual, have occurred in almost all the large cities in Mexico and appear to target not only the wealthy, but also the middle class.

Related Stories:
· Mexico: Guns, Cash and a Tiara [NYT]
· Enjoy the Beach while Ducking RPGs in Mexico [Jaunted]
· Scenic Sinaloa: The Center of Mexico's Drug War [Jaunted]

[Photo: Huffington Post]

Just How Dangerous Is Mexico?

October 18, 2008 at 11:15 AM | 1 Comment

When Robert Rodriguez released "Desperado" in 1995, he couldn't have known that a decade later Mexico would be locked in a horrifying drug war responsible for thousands of corpses. But that's the case, at least according to the US State Department which recently released an update to its travel alert for the country:

Some recent Mexican army and police confrontations with drug cartels have taken on the characteristics of small-unit combat, with cartels employing automatic weapons and, on occasion, grenades. Firefights have taken place in many towns and cities across Mexico but particularly in northern Mexico, including Tijuana, Chihuahua City and Ciudad Juarez.

A number of areas along the border are experiencing rapid growth in the rates of many types of crime. More than 1,600 cars were reportedly stolen in Ciudad Juarez in the month of July 2008, and bank robberies there are up dramatically. Rates for robberies, homicides, petty thefts and carjackings have all increased over the last year across Mexico generally, with notable spikes in Tijuana and northern Baja California.

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Green Travel: Pot Plants Polluting Parks

October 14, 2008 at 12:30 PM | 0 Comments

Just when you thought national parks were the ideal places for a trouble-free vacation comes news that some parks have unwanted visitors. Over the past 10 years, more than 150 marijuana gardens have been found in Sequoia National Park alone.

To protect their cash crops, the, uh, gardeners often use harsh bug sprays, miles of PVC pipes for irrigation and even rat poison to keep animals away from the plants. Obviously these chemicals don't do wonders for the surrounding plants and animals.

Volunteers are the primary force when it comes to cleaning up the parks. The High Sierra Trail Crew is planning to take about 30 volunteers into the Sequoia National Park to remove debris, pesticides and all the other garbage left behind from these illegal farmers. But if you're thinking about bringing home a souvenir, just remember what one state official says:

You ain't just smoking pot, bud. You're smoking some heavy-duty pesticides from Mexico.

Related Stories:
· Illegal Marijuana Growing Pollutes US National Parks [CNN]
· National Parks coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: stinkie pinkie]

Tijuana Tourism Struggles as Violence Intensifies

October 5, 2008 at 2:12 PM | 0 Comments

There was a time not long ago when a visit to Tijuana was a rite of passage for Southern California youngsters, who'd flock to "TJ" for cheap tequila and an anything-goes attitude that made for so many great stories back home. Unfortunately for Tijuana's tourism industry, however, more and more prospective visitors are choosing different destinations these days, put off by reports of an explosion of murders and kidnappings in the once charmingly-seedy border town. Just over the past week, nearly fifty people were murdered in a spate of drug-related violence, and the grisly nature of the killings - including decapitation and the removal of tongues - suggests that further retaliations are all but assured.

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Drug War Travel: Enjoy the Beach while Ducking RPGs in Mexico

September 30, 2008 at 2:31 PM | 1 Comment

The government of Mexico hopes to create yet another heavily developed strip of sand for tourists interested in golf courses, hotels and condos, and President Felipe Calderon has gone so far to say it'll be the country's most important tourism project in a quarter century. But there's one catch: It'll be in Sinaloa, the notorious home to the Mexican drug traffickers known as the Pacific Cartel.

True, the beach-town-turned-resort of Mazatlán is in Sinaloa, and it's established itself as a (relatively for Mexico) off-the-radar place to be. But while there haven't been any grenade attacks there, it has seen some gunplay.

We've already told you about the military-grade weaponry being used by gangs and the shrines to traffickers in Sinaloa's capital of Culiacán. How likely it is that tourists will be lining up to fly down to check out the beach in the middle of a drug-fueled war?

Related Stories:
· US State Department Travel Alert for Mexico [Official Site]
· Mexico Announces New Tourist Resort [AP, via]
· Drug Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo Google Maps]

German "Chocolate" Travel: What Exactly Is in These Sweets?

September 16, 2008 at 11:00 AM | 0 Comments

Is Berlin the new Amsterdam? Well, hipster enclave Prenzlauer Berg might be.

German cops have shut down a candy store in the notorious neighborhood in Berlin after discovering the 23-year-old owner was peddling chocolates and lollipops laced with magic mushrooms and marijuana.

"In the shop we found 120 pieces of magic mushroom chocolate and countless cannabis lollipops," said police, who confiscated around 70 sachets containing various drugs, about 20 marijuana joints, a range of pills and some jars of drug-laced honey

Sorry, we still haven't been able to dig up the address of the shuttered sweets shop!

Related Stories:
· Hallucinogenic Chocolates Doom Berlin Sweets Shop [Reuters]
· Drug Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: EuroMagic]

Dangerous Travel: Watch for Caimans in Rio

September 4, 2008 at 9:15 AM | 0 Comments

Police making what a local newspaper called a "mega-operation" on the Rio favela of Coréia discovered two caimans, which they say drug traffickers used to intimidate enemies--and dispose of bodies. Says one cop:

The caimans are a symbol of power of the traffickers. When they catch a rival, they kill him and give him to the caimans.

The crocodile-like reptiles aren't exactly big, but we still wouldn't want to get near 'em--or the drug lords that put the critters to work. Still, a two-foot-long caiman has got to be less intimidating than a ninja gangster.

Related Stories:
· Police Seize Caimans, Weapons and Drugs in Rio Slum [O Globo, in Portuguese]
· Brazil: Police Seize Gang's Reptiles [NYT]
· Oh Rio! Dead Baby Penguins Make Us Sad [Jaunted]

[Photo: O Globo]

Smoking Ban Switching up the Crowd at Amsterdam Coffee Shops

August 18, 2008 at 2:05 PM | 1 Comment

Guidebook guru and pot promoter Rick Steves just left the Netherlands, and he's got a substantial update on the marijuana scene in Amsterdam. First things first: Don't bother calling an ambulance after smoking too much because the EMTs will just tell you to walk it off!

But the big news is what's changed thanks to a new smoking ban--that prohibits indoor tobacco smoking but gives marijuana puffers a pass:

The Dutch, like the rest of Europe, mix their marijuana with tobacco. It might seem strange to an American, but if a coffeeshop is busted--it's busted for tobacco. Shops are mixing a kind of herb tea as a tobacco substitute for joints. Coffeeshops with a few outdoor seats have a huge advantage as their local customers can light up outside....

Many local smokers would rather get their pot to go than smoke it without tobacco at their neighborhood coffeeshop.

Thank heavens for American vice tourists then!

Related Stories:
· Lessons Learned in an Amsterdam Coffee Shop [Rick Steves]
· No Impulse Buying Magic Mushrooms [Jaunted]
· Drug Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: jlantzy]