After several months in Chiang Mai, I returned to Canada. Immigration took a swab sample of the inside of my small backpack (which I use to carry my laptop) and detected the presence of cocaine and heroin! What the $?%& ? I've never done drugs, heck I haven't even taken an aspirin in over ten years! So it came as quite a shock to me. Immigration didn`t pursue the matter as they obviously never found any drugs besides that trace amount. Now I'm scratching my head trying to figure out how this could have happened. I sometimes used the backpack to carry stuff like my shoes or groceries, so something must have come into contact with these drugs. The Immigration official told me it was a good thing that it wasn`t detected in New York, where I transitted from, as I could have been in more trouble. A word of advice: Wash your bag thoroughly before returning to your home country!

Never mind New York. Just be thankfull they did not swab your Backpack In Thailand

Lots of money has traces of these drugs.

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU!

A friend of mine got caught at Australian immigration with traces of meth in his ruck sack. Ended up with the old rubber glove treatment....He was walking like John wayne for a week.

Good tip on cleaning the luggage first.

In any sort of test for illegal narcotics or other items, there are four possible outcomes:

- true positive

- true negative

- false positive

- false negative

It seems possible that you fell victim to a "false positive" result. Also, there are narcotic elements in many legal drugs, such as paracetemol w/codeine. Fortunately in your case logic prevailed and you weren't hassled any more than what was deemed necessary.

After several months in Chiang Mai...

There's your traces of drugs right there....

Is it common to get trace residue of narcotics in luggage then? If so, surely even in Thailand, New York, etc, they must be aware of that. I havent thought of washing out my luggage. In fact, in all honesty, ive been very lazy about that as I rarely use them. Worrying thought.

So..how best to wash semi-hard luggage to remove possible traces like that? I can put my backpack in the washing machine. But i have a semi-hard suitcase. Just wipe it down? Is that enough?

I never touch drugs, but if this can happen, i want to make sure i minimize any possibility. I certainly do not fancy the idea of a complete body search!!

Might need to stay away from those hilltribe gals!

Fortunately you didn't make a stop in Dubai.

Charity issues urgent warning to all travellers to United Arab Emirates after Briton imprisoned for 4 years for 0.003g cannabis caught in the tread of his shoe

Fortunately you didn't make a stop in Dubai.

Charity issues urgent warning to all travellers to United Arab Emirates after Briton imprisoned for 4 years for 0.003g cannabis caught in the tread of his shoe

Please post the source Tywais (not that i dont believe you! just would like to read more).

Scary stuff..

edit: Im i being gullible here? Is this for real...?

Edited April 6, 200917 yr by eek

Never mind New York. Just be thankfull they did not swab your Backpack In Thailand

...or transited through Dubai:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7234786.stm

The trouble is that the development of detection technology has increased exponentially while judgement, common-sense and IQ amongst law-enforcement agencies have declined in response. Whereas in decades long past you'd need to carry a couple of coal sacks of opium to trigged the senses of the average plod, now all they have to do is wipe a swab - which has been in their pocket alongside their personal stash - over something you might once have walked past and press a button and there you have an instant ' GUILTY - take him out and lynch him' result on a screen, a la Judge Dredd.

At least the Canadians haven't reached the auto-verdict stage yet.

Once the Thais cotton on to the idea of pre-dubbed swabs it will do wonders for tea money income, recession or not.

Edited April 6, 200917 yr by phaethon

Possession of painkillers like codeine and some cold and flu medication could result in a mandatory four-year prison sentence, Fair Trials International said.

Meanwhile, a Swiss national is serving a four-year jail term after three poppy seeds from a bread roll he ate at Heathrow airport were found on his clothes.

.. !!!

Edited April 6, 200917 yr by eek

eek take a look through this pinned topic in the travel forum. http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Stopovers-Du...io-t170435.html

Do people realize that if you eat something with poppy seeds in it and are tested for heroin, the test will come up positive!

Please post the source Tywais (not that i dont believe you! just would like to read more).

Sorry eek > Pinned in Thaivisa Travel Forum

Thank you for that link Farma.

A couple of years ago when coming to Thailand, i flew transit via Dubai, i had no idea. I count myself as lucky.

edit: thanks too Tywais

Edited April 6, 200917 yr by eek

If you whistle the theme to Van der Valk you will test positive for cannabis.

Do people realize that if you eat something with poppy seeds in it and are tested for heroin, the test will come up positive!

yes

Do people realize that if you eat something with poppy seeds in it and are tested for heroin, the test will come up positive!

Wasn't that on an episode of mythbusters? scary stuff

Is it common to get trace residue of narcotics in luggage then? If so, surely even in Thailand, New York, etc, they must be aware of that. I havent thought of washing out my luggage. In fact, in all honesty, ive been very lazy about that as I rarely use them. Worrying thought.

So..how best to wash semi-hard luggage to remove possible traces like that? I can put my backpack in the washing machine. But i have a semi-hard suitcase. Just wipe it down? Is that enough?

I never touch drugs, but if this can happen, i want to make sure i minimize any possibility. I certainly do fancy the idea of a complete body search!!

Ahhh eeek, you filthy animal , comes here to uncle neverdie, he'll do ur complete body search

You got your stuff swabbed in Canada? Which airport?

I have never experienced that and I have been in and out constantly.

Do people realize that if you eat something with poppy seeds in it and are tested for heroin, the test will come up positive!

Wasn't that on an episode of mythbusters? scary stuff

yes.

Definitive proof, um.... well

Cheers!

Lithobid

A friend of mine got caught at Australian immigration with traces of meth in his ruck sack. Ended up with the old rubber glove treatment....He was walking like John wayne for a week.

Good tip on cleaning the luggage first.

the idea of a full orifice search disgusts me.

they now got the xray technology to see this without having the humiliation that goes along with it.

i pity the poor bugger that does the oriface searching though.

whats with the rubber glove anyway, they could just stick it up another 5 inches and it will be undetectable.

They take swabs from backpacks?...........

I might need to get a new wardrobe.

The war on drugs must almost be won if theyre searching for such small amounts.

extract from the times site:

regarding UAE:

Among the banned substances are foods containing poppy seeds;

melatonin, which is taken to ease the effects of jetlag;

codeine, a common ingredient in pain relief medication,

and any trace of drugs such as cannabis, however small.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/ne...icle3333905.ece

Edited April 6, 200917 yr by frankthetank

You got your stuff swabbed in Canada? Which airport?

I have never experienced that and I have been in and out constantly.

I was swabbed in Montreal. Last year too. This year, they also made me turn on my laptop and took a quick glance at the pictures I took with my girlfriend in Thailand. They said they would check my two USB keys too but they never did.

A friend of mine got caught at Australian immigration with traces of meth in his ruck sack. Ended up with the old rubber glove treatment....He was walking like John wayne for a week.

Good tip on cleaning the luggage first.

Hmmm highly unlikely, Australian customs are not authorised to do body cavity searches, they will take you for a CT scan. If they did it would be digital rape. They will however, check all your pics on your phones, laptops, cameras and memory cards and swab you for explosives and drugs.

Edited April 6, 200917 yr by waza

Many years ago I was waiting for my bags at Sydney airport after coming back from Amsterdam.

My backpack was on the ground next to me when along came one of those beagle drug sniffer dogs.

When it got to my bag the dam_n mutt went so crazy it started to hump my backpack, the hadler had troubly dragging it off!

Needless to say they dragged me off for a full search, every swab was "highly positive"

I just admitted that I liked a puff now and again. The customs guy actually smiled at me and said "I love Amsterdam too" and let me go.

Lots of money has traces of these drugs.

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU!

so lets play with big brother

lets fill our bags with substances that mimick drugs and clog them up so bad they will have to re-address the cause and change their ways