NCJ Number
129024
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 38 Issue: 11 Dated: (November 1990) Pages: 56-60
Date Published
1990
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article describes types of booby traps that may be used to protect the locales of criminal enterprises, notably drug trafficking, and instructs officers how to identify such traps and protect against their dangers.
Abstract
Booby traps may be used by marijuana growers, drug lab operators, or paramilitary political extremists to warn of an approach by a stranger or to impede access to the protected area. Booby traps can range from the simple to the sophisticated. They include firearms triggered by a trip wire, hidden pits dug to trap and injure intruders, wire strung with fish hooks at eye level, and various board-and-nail devices designed to injure and ensnare the feet and legs of intruders. Drug enforcement officers should always operate in teams when investigating areas with a high risk for booby traps. Such teams are likely to find booby traps at points of access, i.e., along roads, trails, gullies, and field and facility perimeters. Also be aware of telltale signs of booby traps, such as wire stretched across a path; a pile of leaves where no other leaves are on the ground; freshly dug dirt; indentations in the ground; unnatural materials such as pipe, boards, newspapers, and cardboard; and any item that invites a person to pick it up and examine it. A boat or building should not be entered without carefully inspecting it for booby traps. Do not turn on any electrical switch until a technician has checked it out.