Modus Operandi by Mauro Corvasce (universal ebook reader txt) 📕

There are techniques to pick just about any lock made today. Locks that have been picked can be identified after examination at a forensics laboratory.

Some locks cannot be opened by picking. These locks have what is known as high-security pin tumblers. These pin tumblers are designed to discourage lockpicking. When you are attempting to open the lock these pin tumblers feel like they are at the open position when they are nowhere near that position.

Only the most skilled professional can open high-secu-rity locks by picking. Another method of entry requires taking a small high-speed hand drill and drilling a small hole just above the center of the tumblers. When this has been accomplished, the center of the lock will turn and the lock will open.

Another method similar to using a credit card, is to slip a small bent piece of wire through an opening in the door and attempt to unlock the lock from the inside. This is mainly done when you have a key entry on the outside of the door and a turning knob on the inside of the door. A thief can look through a window on the door, guide the bent wire onto the knob and turn it to open the lock. This is also a technique used to gain entry into vehicles.

A small screwdriver or pry bar can be inserted into the small opening between the frame and the door, and with minimal force, the door can be popped open. If the lock is an inexpensive one, two simple paper clips, opened and bent at 45 degree angles, can be placed horizontally one above the other. Jiggling the paper clips and turning the knob at the same time may be all that is needed to open the door.

One of the most widely used writer's gimmicks is the impression method. A person holds a piece of moldable wax or clay and the key is pressed into this material, forming an impression of the key, which can be easily duplicated. An important item to remember is that a key has two sides and both sides must have impressions.

When it comes to padlocks, the easiest method is just to cut the shackle, which is the curved part, with a bolt cutter.

Some interesting points to remember in lockpicking are that after you pick the lock open, you have to return it to normal or the key may not work properly which would cause detection. To determine which way to turn the tension tool, try it in one direction and, if that doesn't work, just use the tension tool in the opposite direction.

If your lockpicking is not going as swiftly as you would like, and your hands start to cramp, your picking will be unsuccessful. Take a moment to relax your hands and then go back to it.

If one does not possess the skill to pick locks, there are pick guns. They come in all shapes and sizes and are quite expensive. They are hard to conceal on your person and the law enforcement community will recognize them immediately.

To use a pick gun, you insert it into the key hole and lightly squeeze the trigger. The gun applies pressure in the same way as the tension tool and aligns the pins so that they are in the open position. Some pick guns will turn the knob, others you have to turn with a tension tool.

If all else fails, you can have your burglars break a window, reach inside and unlock the door.

Leaders of narcotic trafficking networks are people who conspire with others to become the administrator or financier of an organization designed to profit from the unlawful manufacture, transport and distribution of a controlled substance. A drug lord can head up a major cartel employing hundreds of people or a small group. Smuggling is conducted worldwide, and they will use any scheme necessary to import their products.

Let's go into detail about the different types of drugs that are currently being smuggled.

Cocaine

In the 1800s, cocaine was legal in the United States. It was treated much like caffeine is today, and was used in a number of food products. The Harrison Anti-Narcotics Act, passed by Congress in 1914, outlawed possession of cocaine. Cocaine increased in popularity in the United States during the 1970s. At that time people believed that cocaine was not addictive, and this misconception made it the drug of choice.

Cocaine is grown in Colombia, Peru and other mountainous countries with suitable climates. Cocaine is extracted from the alkaloid of the leaves of the small coca bush. Cocaine increases energy and creates a feeling of confidence in the user; it is also a stimulant and will promote weight loss. These properties made cocaine popular with the Jet Set of the 1970s.

Drug smugglers remove the alkaloid through a series of dangerous procedures involving highly flammable chemicals. The end product is purified, which makes cocaine incredibly potent. Just about all exported cocaine is manufactured in the same area where it is grown. Cocaine is usually sold in grams or ounces packaged in small plastic bags. Additives such as inositol, baking soda and milk sugar are mixed with the cocaine until it is about fifty to seventy-five percent pure. Cocaine is cut this way to stretch the amount sold, bringing in more money.

Freebasing

Late in the 1970s and early in the 1980s, freebasing became the method of consumption of cocaine. Freebasing cocaine increases the potency of the drug. To freebase cocaine, the user mixes baking soda or sodium bicarbonate with the cocaine to remove the additives placed in it. The remaining cocaine is then placed into a pipe and a steady heat source from an open flame is applied to the pipe. This produces a vapor that is inhaled through the pipe directly into the lungs, causing an almost instantaneous reaction.

Crack

In the late 1980s, a new and more potent form of cocaine appeared on the inner-city streets. Crack is stronger, faster-acting and much cheaper than the powder form of cocaine. A piece