Posted on 02/24/2014 2:50:14 AM PST by Cindy
SNIPPET: "The arrest of a woman accused of hiding more than 10,000 diamonds inside her body when she landed at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport comes amid warnings that Canada is one of the countries where illicit diamonds have been used for money laundering."
SNIPPET: "The woman had landed at Pearson on a Feb. 3 flight from Trinidad and Tobago, when she came to the attention of a Canada Border Services Agency officer, according to CBSA spokeswoman Vanessa Barrasa.
The RCMP said the woman was found to have carried 10,202 stones inside her.
The 1,500 carats (about 300 grams) of rough diamonds have an estimated value of $398,000, the RCMP said.
Helena Freida Bodner, a 66-year-old foreign national, was charged with four customs offences and two counts under the Export and Import of Rough Diamonds Act."
SNIPPET: "Trinidad is not a diamond-mining country. The nearest sources of the precious stones would be Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana."
SNIPPET: "A similar scheme is outlined in a report released last month by the Financial Action Task Force, a Paris-based intergovernmental body that sets standards and promotes anti-laundering reforms.
The report identified Canada as one of countries that have seen major criminal cases where diamonds were used as a currency in the narcotics trade, money laundering and terrorism financing."
(Excerpt) Read more at theglobeandmail.com ...
At the Port of Entry (or Exit), they do.
Ever wonder why searching luggage at a Customs station in the airport isn't a violation of the 4th Amendment?
If the diamonds were legal, the lady would've declared them. She didn't. Thus, the quite logical presumption that they are coming into the country for an unlawful purpose.
I agree with you. What business does the government have in monitoring what assets we bring into and out of the country?
Bfl
Do you believe there should be tariffs on foreign goods brought into the country for sale, say for example goods mfg. in China and brought in and sold at Wal-Mart?
If you do you just defeated your own argument.
Shouldn’t you be speaking at an ‘open borders’ rally?
I'm not saying that they don't do it, I'm saying that it is another unwarrented government intrusion into our lives.
If the diamonds were legal, the lady would've declared them. She didn't
Legal? Again you're missing the point which is that the government doesn't have any business deciding what valuables I'm allowed to own, what I'm allowed to carry and which I'm not. Diamonds are a readily transportable form of wealth historically used by people fleeing repressive governments. Of course those selfsame government declare removing wealth from their countries illegal. My position is that the government doesn't have any business knowing what my assets are, what cash I'm carrying etc.
There’s such a thing as Customs where you have to declare things.......
So, diamonds are okay? What about heroin? Bombs? Snakes?
Sheeh, please think before posting.
No I don't. Tariffs simply reward one group of citizens at the expense of everyone else by artificially inflating the cost of some goods. Try reading Bastiat's that which is seen and that which is not seen
Diamond girl, you sure do shine.
um.. this whole thing doesn’t make sense
if someone wants to trade in diamonds ... why stuff a bunch of ruff cut ones inside someone to smuggle across the border when you can just place one really nice cut one on her finger of the same value and call it a wedding ring?
there are plenty of $300,000 diamonds out there.
Shouldn't you stick to making a relevant comment?
Sounds like we have a case of Cindy Stones.
Sheeh, please think before posting
Sounds painful
And you're missing mine.
At the border, the government of any country has every right to know what you're bringing into -- or taking out of -- the country. It's a matter of a.) security and b.) collecting taxes (tariffs) -- the two fundamental roles of the federal government according to the Constitution.
Accordingly, the 4th Amendment against "unreasonable search & seizure" does not apply at the Port of Entry (or Exit).
In the Interior, your position is justified. At the border, it's not.
The whole point is WHY should you have to declare them? Answer: SO THE GOVENMENT CAN COLLECT A TAX ON THEM. Right? Now why should the government have the right to tax your wealth just because you cross a border?
There are protections provided to the citizens of the US by monitoring what crosses our boarders, even though this lady was in Canada. For example, nuclear, chemical or bio weapons. Also, blood diamonds were used to finance the Sept. 11 attacks here. Two of the 19 hijackers spent the he last 18 months of their lives living in Sierra Leon buying all the production from the RUF, the muslim terrorists that left tens of thousands of amputees in their pursuit of control of the diamond bearing areas. The next time you want to purchase anything that has diamonds in it, from drill bits, nail files to jewelry, ask if they are ‘conflict free’ diamonds and where are the Kimberly Process documents to authenticate source.
The security reason is pretty much BS when talking about diamonds therefore we're down to taxes. So you think just because someone crosses a border their wealth should be up for grabs by the government?
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