[bustedromo]

Why are you guys assuming it was a single $15K shipment?

A far better assumption is that the $15K was for the initial shipment, and the plan was for ongoing shipments in increasing quantities as the art imex biz "grew".

Also, how can it be on the one hand that Laak isn't the sort to get involved with smuggling H, but on the other hand heroin importation/wholesaling/retailing/addiction cuts through all walks.

I think it's far easier to run a squeaky clean operation where all parties are educated, white-collar, otherwise law-abiding, an operation that operates behind closed doors and doesn't attract attention. All the risk is pushed offshore. Considering the opportunities for real criminals to take advantage, not sure how many of those operations could hold together for long, but who thinks of that when starting something up.

I find it totally believable that Laak wanted to get into this business. He's already operating in a pure cash world, large cash deposits/withdrawals aren't anything new. He's hustling backgammon and that's the same kind of street smarts you'd need in a white collar drug operation. He's travelled all over Southeast Asia, met lots of people, many wealthy or involved in gambling, it's easy to put it all together.

All he needs is one regular buyer, one step up the wholesale food chain from himself.