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Im going to the dam july 3rd-9. When i leave there i have to go through Istanbul and i was wondering what should i expect?

I'm no expert...but i'm guessing there may be a few Turkish people there

We went there a couple of times and were never searched or anything.......if you get caught, try to give the police some money....if they dont take it you will be fucked

If you are referring to taking some out with you I would seriously think about the consequences, if you got caught.

Is it really worth being locked away in a foreign country as a drugs smuggler?

The ball is in your court but I know that if that were me I would definately not take anything out of Amsterdam.

There is a series here on cable called "Locked Up", about Americans or Brits locked up in foreign jails for some kind of drug possession or smuggling. The stories are told by the people themselves after they were released from prison, but they are lucky they ever made it out. These "jails" make American and British prison look like the Hilton, my advice, dont risk 15 years of your life bro (or worse!)

TokeOnThat wrote:I'm no expert...but i'm guessing there may be a few Turkish people there

Fantastic, fella!

I nearly spat a glass of red wine over the monitor when I read that!

On a more somber note... the previous comments are spot on. I went to Turkey last year and they take their security and customs checks very seriously. I would NOT like to be in one of their jail cells for one minute.

They may look at you differently when they see you've come from Amsterdam? I don't know... One thing I DO know, even when I fly from the UK to Amsterdam and back, I don't for a minute ever consider bringing anything back with me because it just isn't worth the risk and the consequences. In Turkey especially, I would have thought the chances of being dealt with fairly would probably not be very high.

Don't get me wrong, I found the Turkish people I met there to be very friendly, and I certainly intend going back again, but don't do anything to provoke the rather Draconian arm of the law while you're there. If you're not carrying, then you should have no problems, but don't forget...

If you get caught anywhere with a little something "extra", your passport is flagged on their systems, meaning you're more likely to be searched in future (i.e. every time you fly), and if you normally need Visa's to enter certain countries, then you may find yourself being refused entry!

Have fun though while you're there if you're staying more than just a few hours changing planes, and go see the sights - it's spectacular!

Good luck!

NirvanaEJ wrote:There is a series here on cable called "Locked Up", about Americans or Brits locked up in foreign jails for some kind of drug possession or smuggling. The stories are told by the people themselves after they were released from prison, but they are lucky they ever made it out. These "jails" make American and British prison look like the Hilton, my advice, dont risk 15 years of your life bro (or worse!)

no kidding, I met a guy who was sentenced to life in a south east asian jail for drug smuggling, and he did the prisoner exchange thing and after 4 years there his sentence (upon return to the US to finish it) was deemed complete because of the conditions. He said that if someone dies you dont say anything, instead you keep getting their food.

For those that dont know, some countries have opted into a prisoner exchange program. You usually get information from your consulate (the UK at least has pamphlets they print up about it for prisoners). Its not required, the prisoner must agree, the countries must agree, but often it can happen. Basically you get tried, convicted and sentenced in the foreign country, then you can initiate proceedings to be transfered back to your home country to finish out the sentence, subject to their rules for time off for good behaviour. A UK guy I knew in US federal prison was planning on transferring at the 50% mark because the US jail was better according to him, but the time off rules are 85% in US federal (no parole, 54 days for every 12 months served) where in the UK for his crime it would be 50%. He would actually get an early release that way.

You have no right to this program, not all countries do this, and you cant rely on it, but its good to know it exists just in case something does happen.

When you get to customs, just light up yer J and see what will happen....

Then in 20 years come to the forum and give us your opinion on this advice.....

i'm not dumb enough to bring anything back with me. i just have a feeling i'm gonna get alot of shit from customs

Nobody said you were dumb......but why be paranoid about customs if you have nothing to hide.....