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Comment by sixQuarks | Hacker News Reader

How is it that these drugs make it through international mail? Doesn't the US government have ways to detect drugs that are shipped in this manner?

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International shipping is much riskier, so people are usually advised to only order domestically. Certain countries are known for stringently checking international packages -- Australia is at the top of the list, though the US is tough too.

Good packaging consists of multiple layers of vacuum seal and some kind of visual barrier. Fake names, vacant addresses, no return address, trying to mask smells with coffee/foods, etc. are all generally thought to be criteria for 'flagging' a package for more careful review (drug dogs, x-ray machines).

When I was a teenager a friend used to send me LSD through the post, it always arrived (Royal Mail).

I've also purchased Zopiclone and Valium through Silk Road which has been shipped from the U.S. without issues (Hyperdontia, so with frequent toothache I need to know I can get to sleep at night so that I can work the next day, and I've had better experiences with the vendors on SR than I have with doctors and dentists.)

Out of general interest, has the state of the NHS dentists got so bad that you can't see a dentist, or do you have a fear of dentists?

FYI if you have an abcess then you should really get it seen to!

http://worldental.org/teeth/abscessed-tooth-complications-an...

As good as the NHS is - they hate to dole out drugs unless all other options have been exhausted.

I went to my GP asking for a single Ambien (Zolpidem) to help me sleep on a long haul flight and they said no as it 'could cause dependency'. So I bought 60 over the counter with no prescription in Thailand.

Yeah, I always thought it a bit dumb that you can't get a couple of sleeping pills for a flight / jet lag. They could always limit it to say 20 a year so you can't get addicted. I bought my Ambien in Vietnam.

Sorry about the late reply, enjoying the bank holiday.

I don't have a fear of dentists, I think spending money on solving pain issues is the best money one can spend. And I use a private dentist rather than NHS (since every NHS dentist near my home does not seem to be taking new patients.) – It's not an abscess that I have, I seem to sprout new teeth frequently, I'm on my third and fourth set of adult teeth (different teeth in their own different generations), and they keep coming, and as they're pushing through it causes a lot of pain, which is manageable apart from a pain perspective, but I don't get much sleep whilst waiting for an appointment. Zopiclone helps with that, but it's not easily obtainable despite the condition being on medical record.

I'd expect it's a question of volume. The USPS and Customs do inspect international mail, however there is probably just so much of it that most contraband sneaks under the radar.

Pretty sure it is. I know there's a pretty substantial trade in cuban cigars entering the US, there are plenty of websites based out of Hong Kong and Switzerland who'll send cubans into the US. Again customer service is key. If the cigars don't arrive within a certain timeframe the vendors will send again, if it's stopped again they'll give you your money back.

The vast majority do seem to make it through though although some odd things do happen, some packages appear to have been held up in customs for literally years before they're released, it's not unusual to hear stories of people receiving orders that they already received (because they were shipped a second time and those got through) a couple of years after the initial order. You've got to suspect that might be an attempt to damage the companies selling them economically by making them re-send to destroy their margins.

But the trade still thrives, not just for the US but also for high tax countries ordering from abroad is a much cheaper and practical option.

Many of my coworkers order tons of crap of things like aliexpress or deal extreme and those packages are substantially never opened in customs - they may be checked by sniffer dogs, but I doubt it.

What types of products are these? Are they illegal in your country? Or is it mainly import/customs charges that is being evaded?

I order plenty of things from abroad that aren't illegal or evading duties. The UK, for example, has no VAT or import duty on items costing less than £15.

Just the other day I ordered £0.99 worth of self-adhesive hooks on ebay, with free shipping from Hong Kong.

It's hard to say whether the parcel passed an inspection that left no marks, or whether it just wasn't inspected.

Those are all legal items and they are below the import charges so none are paid - however if they had been drugs, do you think they would have been labeled with the correct price/content?

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