We know that safety in the workplace is an important topic. Over the years employers and workers have been inundated with requirements designed to help maintain a safe and healthy environment on the job. Many of the labels and procedures now in place are often blinding glimpses of the obvious; yet too many people ignore them and still wind up getting hurt.
Yet we have to ask, has the movement to tag and label everything gone just a tad too far?
For the job of drug smuggler, the answer appears to be “yes.”
CNN reports that a Florida police department got quite the helpful hand during a routine traffic stop last week. A Florida Highway Patrol trooper had stopped the car for speeding but ended up discovering a bag full of drugs in the car.
What helped them find the drugs? Well, a Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s K9 called to the scene indicated there were drugs in the car, but once they started looking, the search didn’t take much time. The stash was found in a bag that was labeled “Bag Full Of Drugs.”
Well, that was easy. I wasn’t aware that regulations now required smugglers to label their product quite so plainly.
The bag contained 75 grams of methamphetamine, 1.36 kilograms of GHB, 1 gram of cocaine, 3.6 grams of fentanyl, 15 MDMA tablets and drug paraphernalia.
While I am sure that proper package labeling can greatly increase the efficiency of smuggling narcotics, it does show that there is a downside to the process. As a Facebook post from the Santa Rosa Sheriff indicated, “Note to self- do not traffic your illegal narcotics in bags labeled ‘Bag Full Of Drugs. Our K-9’s can read.” The other advice they might provide is, “If you are carrying a lot of narcotics in a bag labeled ‘Bag Full of Drugs,” you probably shouldn’t be driving like an idiot. Obey all posted speed limits.”
This just goes to show that labeling requirements in some industries might have gone too far. Also, if you are a moron that is going to be busted for obviously labeled contraband, it is best to be busted by an agency with a sense of humor.