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Comment by cf498 | Hacker News Reader

>US authorities arrested Vallerius in September last year, at the Atlanta airport after he arrived in the US to attend and participate in the World Beard and Mustache Championships that was being held in Austin, Texas.

And is facing a life sentence.

Dont travel to such countries. Never ever period.

Crossing a border is a big decision, no matter how cheap the tickets are. I dont get people who keep doing this, its not like those are split second decisions.

Why in your right mind would you do this without carefully considering what the effects of you being in that country might be. I had female friends talking about going to holiday in Dubai, another friend with a Turkish passport visited his family in the south east recently.

Think for a moment for gods sake.

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Overconfidence is one of OPSECs biggest vulnerabilities. He was much safer in France but clearly felt he was completely under the radar. Using LocalBitcoin accounts directly is a big sign that he didn't fully understand how deeply he was in a mess.

> Crossing a border is a big decision, no matter how cheap the tickets are.

While generally I agree with you, some are trivial. Especially where the EU has gone to great effort to make them trivial to cross. Or where they are fractal and run through houses: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baarle-Nassau

It's completely trivial to cross between states inside the US, but if the next state over legalizes marijuana, and you take a road trip to bring back some weed and edibles, by crossing state lines your road trip may become a Federal drug trafficking offense, with severe penalties if caught.

Even the easiest border crossing can carry significant risks depending on the context.

He obviously didn't know they had his identity, but I would agree, if running a criminal enterprise, be careful where you go.

Not just then. Your local laws and rights dont mean shit in your holiday destination. This should be the very first question you ask yourself when traveling.

Hell, even when traveling domestically to other states you should ask that question and research where you're going.

The states concept is something that is mostly relevant to the US. The different in states in for example Germany is extremly limited.

I feel like this is really only relevant to gun laws/hunting. Not sure what other laws are as swiss cheese as they are.

There's also pot legalization differences between states, combined with Federal concerns.

Go to Colorado and buy some edibles, you're fine. Carry some over the border into Kansas, and not only are you breaking Kansas law, but if caught they may hand you over to the Feds and penalties may be severe. (Crossing a state border makes it a Federal issue.)

Yeah kind forgot about that.

Correct me if I'm wrong but it's a federal issue and can be enforced even if you don't cross state lines. There's a drug case where Scalia seemingly ignored his previous opinion about what can be regulated as "interstate commerce" that I remember.

True, I'm sure there's something they can get you on without crossing state lines, but in a legal-pot state at least the local cops probably won't turn you in.

That something is possession.

This is sounding more and more like you're advocating against traveling the world at all.

Not at all. Its advocating to think about your own actions. If you make a reasonable calculation to travel to Somalia, it might be a wonderful experience with limited risk,just think before you act.

> if running a criminal enterprise, be careful where you go.

More specifically, and more commonly, if you have or will break local laws in a country, be careful of visiting there.

In some locations, that means don't be gay, or don't be a women out of a specific outfit, etc.

You don't become a prominent online drug vendor because of a careful, risk-averse disposition.

"And is facing a life sentence. Dont travel to such countries. Never ever period."

Wouldn't the proper thing to take away is, "don't become a drug kingpin"?

Similarly when these folks hang out in countries that would happily extradite to the USA. The smarter ones thought ahead about such matters.

Just to clarify, he was sentenced to 20 years (with the plea deal). If he's lucky, he may get out in 10.

I just recently learned about the parole system in the US, do I understand it correctly, that he wouldnt be allowed to leave the country until the 20 years are up?

Most likely yes that is correct. I'm not a lawyer but I think it's _possible_ a judge could allow them to leave the country but I doubt they frequently do allow that. Often they're restricted much more precisely than nationwide.

How does it work outside the US? Is there no parole or do they typically allow you to leave the country?

Edit: said bail instead of parole

Does it end with the initial sentence or can it be longer?

No, they won't extend the initial sentence unless he commits another crime (then it's technically a different sentence). The worst that can happen is you get denied parole all the way up to your full initial sentence and then you're let out.

Thanks for your explanation, that part was unclear to me.

I'm pretty sure bail is different than parole. Bail comes before sentencing, parole comes after the jail/prison time.

Thanks, I meant parole.

He was charged federally, and federal prisons don't do parole. If he was sentenced to 20 years, he'll do most of those 20 years.

Federal prison does do time off for good behavior. 54 days off per year, so a 20 year sentence would at best be cut to about 17 years.

If you have a life sentence you're not eligible.

Alternative advice: don't become a drug dealer.

Those drugs aren’t gonna sell themselves

That's quite an attitude toward international travel, something practiced by millions of people for business and pleasure every day.

Who hopefully keep in mind the consequences. You (hopefully) wouldnt travel to Somalia, the fact that other countries arent in headlines doesnt mean they are a safe destination.

Few of them run major criminal operations. Hence the presumption of safety when traveling to "safe and civilized" countries.

Always read the small print. Every now and again someone forgets that other countries can be quite different. Drugs policies are the usual one e.g. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/7801410/Dubai-...

.. but it's also possible to become an accidental tourist in someone else's civil war. Or, in the case of this guy, forget that committing crimes internationally can make you wanted in the US.

> I had female friends talking about going to holiday in Dubai

You get a 1-dimensional perspective every time something local goes wrong and is masqueraded as international news. Its like if a civil rights violation from one US city on any given day was elevated to the world stage. It would sound like much more of a nightmare than anything going on in the UAE.

Most females I've talked to absolutely love Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Even people that have moved there.

The best analogy to the experience is Disney World. Lots of thrills, and adult sexual behavior is stifled, except for minor infractions instead of simply thrown out of the park you'll be thrown in a horrible prison.

The fact of the matter is that you're not one of the slaves. That side of things won't be your experience.

You hope you don't get sexually assaulted and judicially victim blamed, and thats the same anywhere.

You should check out #tagyoursponsor to realize why they like it there so much.

#noteverywoman

#notevenmost

Most women I know wouldn't go there - including myself. Maybe we run in different circles.

Yeah, you read about women reporting rape, then being jailed for extramarital sex, and realise that ... no, just no.

Its like if a civil rights violation from one US city on any given day was elevated to the world stage. It would sound like much more of a nightmare than anything going on in the UAE.

Point.

Dubai is not safe for anyone to visit. You can have a microscopic spec of cannabis on your shoe or three poppy seeds and you get years in jail. That's not at all like everywhere else. In fact, it's laws like these that typically get places labeled uncivilized and barbaric. In Dubai's case I think the slavery, oppression of women, and other laws typically fulfill that label even better. No place with such laws is a place I would visit or encourage anyone to visit. Who knows what other stupid laws they will try to enforce on unsuspecting travelers who don't even know they are in violation?

https://newsone.com/409392/brit-jailed-in-dubai-for-4-years-...

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