Drug tourism and cocaine bars

by Brenda Yun on

What fun is travel without a little excitement? Rest and relaxation is a given, but excitement? That you have to look for, and it appears excitement for many is found in drugs.

I came across an article yesterday that made me cringe. The world’s first cocaine bar, it read. And while I have to admit it picqued my interest, I must also say the thought of sitting in a bar with nearly everyone high on cocaine scares me — beyond belief. I wonder, though, whether this cocaine bar in La Paz, Bolivia is on to something. There are heaps of traveling hedonists, eager for a new high, and while I don’t find that high in drugs, I’m almost positive many travelers in Latin America — and all over the world, for that matter — do.

If you think about it, drug tourism has been around for decades. It was no secret that drugs came easy at Studio 54, and it wasn’t really a surprise to me when I heard recently of Kokie’s, a bar in Manhattan that sold cocaine on the down low. I guess the name gave Kokie’s away, because it’s now closed.

And cocaine’s not the only thing people travel for in the world. Consider all the cheap prescription drugs you can get in Tijuana. I even took advantage of that and bought a bottle of Cipro. Or what about the opium dens in Laos. There were all kinds of “special” pizzas on the menu in Vang Vieng. In a lot of ways, drugs and travel mix perfectly, and in a lot of ways, it’s not wrong to mix them unless you’re over-using and forgetting about reality — or not even bothering to understand the place you’re in.

Nevertheless, could this cocaine bar in La Paz be a sign of the times, and will drugs be the new draw for certain destinations abroad? Only time will tell…

Harnessing Honduras: the Central American underdog

by Grant Martin on

Honduras usually isn’t the first place that people think of when they think of vacationing in Central America. Big players in the market like Costa Rica, Cancun and Cozumel consume the majority of the market, while many think that other countries in the region are unsafe or unstable.

It’s true that Central America hasn’t got the best record for safety in the world — the government of Honduras was just removed by a military coup, Guatemala’s civil war rocked the nineties, and the entire region is a hotspot for drug trade. These instances are in specifc pockets though, and while some areas throughout Central America are rough, it’s by no means a reason to avoid any particular country.

Taking advantage of some remarkable recent airfares from the United States to San Pedo Sula, the second largest city in Honduras, Gadling had the pleasure of taking a quick tour through the country, reveling in the dense jungles, immaculate beaches and local culture.

The result? A perfectly safe, fascinating trip to a Central American country rich in culture, underpopulated with tourists and quite the bargain for savvy travelers. Stick around while we take you on a quick tour through the magnificent country this week, in our microseries called Harnessing Honduras. It could just be your next alternative to Costa Rica.

Freighter busted with a ton of cocaine hidden in dead sharks

by Annie Scott on

Cocaine shark? Has a new meaning.

There’s a new way to smuggle cocaine into the U.S. from Mexico: put it in a dead shark.

I have to give them credit. It’s a brilliant scheme. You could be all like “oh gosh, officer, I don’t know why the shark did so much coke — looks like that’s what killed him, though. Oh well. Mystery solved. He was kinda talkin’ my ear off. I need to take him to Miami to be cremated, cool?”

According to The BBC News:

“We are talking about more than a tonne of cocaine that was inside the ship,” said Mexican Navy Commander Eduardo Villa. “Those in charge of the shipment said it was a conserving agent but after checks we confirmed it was cocaine.”

Apparently, x-rays and sniffer dogs uncovered the great white deception on the freighter in the Gulf coast port of Progreso in Yucatan state.

We feel it would have been more appropriate to smuggle the coke in blowfish.

Spanish air contains cocaine

by Sean McLachlan on

Next time you visit Madrid or Barcelona, breathe deeply. Along with the car exhaust, you’ll be getting a whiff of cocaine, according to a recent study.

The Superior Council of Scientific Investigations tested the air in various barrios in the two cities where drug use is popular, and found trace particles of cannabis, amphetamines, and a host of other drugs besides the ubiquitous Bolivian Marching Powder.

While this may seem like yet another of those headline-grabbing but flawed “scientific studies”, having lived in Madrid for the past several years I can believe it. It’s not unusual to catch a cloud of ganja while engaged in the simple act of walking down the street, or to walk into a club bathroom and find someone sniffing off the counter (I mean really people, have you no sense of hygiene!!!) The government has recently felt it necessary to start a national advertising campaign to remind people that drugs are, in fact, illegal.

This is something that many travelers forget at their peril. While some Spaniards wink at drug use, the cops will bust your ass same as back home.

TSA agent caught running a drug business on the side

by Scott Carmichael on

Look, we all know the economy is a little sour at the moment, so what do creative people do? They try and make a little extra cash on the side!

That is what entrepreneur Timothy Monroe did when his job as a TSA checkpoint agent didn’t pay enough.

So, Mr. Monroe picked a second job in a pretty stable kind of market – selling drugs.

During the daytime, Mr. Monroe protected our airports from deadly water bottles and nail clippers, and at night, he sold cocaine and marijuana to his customers.

Apparently this is against the law, because officers obtained a high-risk search warrant and raided his house.

In it, they found all the tools of his trade – guns, ammo, cash, cocaine and marijuana. A TSA spokesperson said they were “aware” of the allegations, and will take appropriate action.