I know this is off-topic from the original thread but... How do they decide what parcels to investigate? On Border Security they put them through x-ray type machines that show them if there are any organic substances inside. If they notice anything they pull it and open it up. Surely they can't scan every single package, parcel or envelope entering the country!
Yeah its a bit de-railed, but this is the run-down on it.
Generally, items are flagged based on where they come from, or pre-organized intelligence. From time to time, from high risk countries, a whole shipment of stuff in air consignments will be pulled and ran over by a sniffer dog, then based on parcels that get a positive detection by the dog, those will be then X-rayed by a small team of guys (4-6 people run the little shops where this takes place).
Lets give this as an example; a plane load of stuff comes in from columbia - there is intelligence to suggest two things: a) columbia is a high risk port of exit for drugs. and b) that someone has given information that on X# flight, 2kg of cocaine is going to be present.
Initial checks show nothing of suspicion, swabs of parcels also show nothing. A cocaine sniffer dog is brought in to run over the load. Some form of tool is found in a parcel, that received a positive detction by the sniffer dog. The tool, lets say a grinding wheel - shows as having organic matter present INSIDE it, and presents some fairly obvious stress fractures on it etc...
Okay, the situation thus far is this. They have a high risk container load of random stuff, One parcel received a positive for cocaine from a dog, but the parcel was clear upon being swabbed and Ion scanned. The parcel contained the tool - which upon xray shows something consealed inside.
What happens next: They drill the package, and then use a presumptuous test on it, beleiving it is cocaine, they first test for cocaine. Two things could happen.
Test is positive:
Parcel is labeled a hazard, and shipped off to AFP for investigation.
Test is negative:
Further testing with Marquis and other reagents takes place pending reaction from those, the substance inside could be chalk for all its worth - and a risk determination or subsequent investigation/release of the parcel takes place.
Thats the long story. It's a much shorter process for the obvious bulk powders coming through with Mephedrone and Meth etc. But the high end cartel busts go down like that.