Paul Bird Motorsport trucks used for drug smuggling.

[Gustav O]

Four members of the PBM team has been arrested for smuggling 18lbs (8kg) of cocaine, 157lbs (71kg) of amphetamine tablets and more than 220lbs (100kg) of cannabis. also having a gun on the trucks.

Considering the large amount of drugs - do you think Paul Bird is unaware of this?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... drugs.html

[Richo]

Holy cow, thats a huge amount! Doesn't surprise me that this has happened though as you would think a motorsport team that is constantly travelling and crossing borders would be the ideal transport for this trade. Mind you the authorities would realise this as well. Can't expect PB would have been aware though.

[Gustav O]

Holy cow, thats a huge amount! Doesn't surprise me that this has happened though as you would think a motorsport team that is constantly travelling and crossing borders would be the ideal transport for this trade. Mind you the authorities would realise this as well. Can't expect PB would have been aware though.

Do you think four of his team members would be able to smuggle 200 kg of drugs in the trucks without anyone noticing? I highly doubt they did it on their own but I have no proof what so ever.

[Cam D]

Fairly recently one of the huge Aussie drag racing teams got done for drug making and distribution. Racing is an expensive sport and drugs are source of large amounts of cash. Would be a strange thing for the team owner to be unaware. Pretty blatant.... leaving the gun lying around.

[Jonzie]

although 100 kg of cocaine and amphetamine don't occupy much space, 100kg of weed are quite difficult to hide because the volume it's much larger. It id still possible that the other members were unaware of it though, after all they are big trucks and trailers, plenty of space.

[Gustav O]

although 100 kg of cocaine and amphetamine don't occupy much space, 100kg of weed are quite difficult to hide because the volume it's much larger. It id still possible that the other members were unaware of it though, after all they are big trucks and trailers, plenty of space.

That is true but if you consider the street value of that amount of drugs there is also a huge amount of cash involved. That tends to show I think.
Anyway. as far as we know the four people arrested might not be involved at after all. A shame anyway as it casts a dark shadow onver the sport we all like and cherish, something that is hard to say about drugs and all crap it brings.

[Cam D]

On board the Kawasaki Racing Team trucks, officers allegedly discovered 18lbs (8kg) of cocaine, 157lbs (71kg) of amphetamine tablets and more than 220lbs (100kg) of cannabis – as well as a handgun and 35 rounds of ammunition, left lying on a table inside one vehicle.
It is claimed that no attempt had been made to conceal the weapon or the drugs.

Sounds like they weren't worried if any of the team saw the stuff.

[Kropotkin]

although 100 kg of cocaine and amphetamine don't occupy much space, 100kg of weed are quite difficult to hide because the volume it's much larger. It id still possible that the other members were unaware of it though, after all they are big trucks and trailers, plenty of space.

That is true but if you consider the street value of that amount of drugs there is also a huge amount of cash involved.

"Street value" is the most idiotic term to use when referring to drugs in that kind of quantity. Considering the number of hands they have to pass through to get down to the street, with everyone taking a cut, then the numbers used are meaningless. 1 gram of cocaine may have a street value of 50 or 60 euros (it's been a long time since I knew what it cost), but a kilo would cost may 10,000 euros, and 100kg would cost a couple of hundred grand. Drug distribution is costly, and there are a lot of people taking a lot of money at each stage.

The people involved were probably getting 5 or 10 grand for transporting this quantity of drugs. You're not going to fund a team on this kind of money, but it might help keep costs low.

[Gustav O]

Might be a stupid term to use and I am aware of the fact that they don´t get a lot of it as transporters. Still a very sad thing to do.

[phil]

Having read a few books on the subject, noteably Killing Pablo ,Killing Charlie, and Marching Powder**, the sad fact is the quantities here are nothing in the big picture and it's not unknown for the very people who gave them the drugs in the first place to inform on their own smaller shipments in order to let a substantial one through.

**Good reading all 3. Highly recommended!

[Tormo4ever]

8 kg is a ridiculous amount ... its s still smalltime but enough to bribe a few people ande still make a good buck ...

the whole thing sounds very odd ... handgun?

hope this doesn t affect the team s performance

[Cam D]

Following media speculation, Paul Bird Motorsport can confirm that a quantity of banned substances had been deposited in a race transporter while the vehicle was in Holland attending the recent Assen World Superbike event.

The substances, along with a number of other illegal items, were discovered upon the vehicle's return to the UK at the port of Dover during a routine examination by HM Customs.

Naturally, the discovery came as a shock to the whole team, including those who were present during the search. The team are confident that no team member has any connection whatsoever with the items discovered. No one has been detained after the time of the search and all team members are able to undertake their normal duties.
How could they not know? Weird... I guess no more weird than Ben not knowing there was a clamp with a tag hanging off the front of his bike.

[Gustav O]

I call BS on that. Of course someone knwe, especially if it was lying around uncovered as per the previous story.

[Tormo4ever]

If someone from the team was in the soup, why leave it all unhidden? Then again, who was supposed to open the trucks first on arrival? The whole story makes no sense.

[Gustav O]

If someone from the team was in the soup, why leave it all unhidden? Then again, who was supposed to open the trucks first on arrival? The whole story makes no sense.

It makes no sense because people are lying.

[phil]

It makes no sense because people are lying.

+1^^

[Richo]

Something is very fishy, that's for sure. Lots of things don't make sense here.

[OZintheDesert]

My dad drives trucks into and out of the UK.

I was talking to him last night about this and he said that he has caught people putting stuff in his truck while they thought he was sleeping, He has also caught and ejected many illegal immigrants from his truck. He says there are dozens of guys that will take anything across the channel for the right price. He said it would depend where in the truck they found the stuff as to whether or not any one from the team know about it. I mean once it leaves the track really the only person who has anything to do with it is the driver.

The rest of the team don't need to be in it while it is moving so a quick fuel stop and a transaction can take place. The trucks can be sitting at the ports for hours literally at each end so these are the places where the drivers often take their naps. I suspect that this truck is pretty obvious in its appearance also.. I am not going to say that yes the team knew about it.

[RatsMC]

Oz, having driven a truck for a living many years ago, I can confirm all of those things to be true. The only place where my expertise falls short is in crossing borders which only a few specialized drivers do over here.

We tend to think of the teams as sort of traveling caravans with the crew happily loading and hauling the equipment but I don't think that is the case any more

[L34]

Bernie Ecclestone had the same sort of problem last year........
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/mot ... onvoy.html

[T2Moto]

Yeah, PB probably didn't know about it. OZintheDesert sounds like he's pretty in the know. Although, maybe they weren't smuggling to sell, but it was all a part of their celebration night festivities . Phil, there's going to be a Marching Powder film soon too.