Posted on 08/11/2006 11:08:06 AM PDT by george76
Around 1:00am August 11th three men purchased cell phones from the Wal-Mart store on M-81 near the corner of M-24 in Caro.
Wal-Mart places a limit on the number of cell phones that can be purchased at once, that number is three.
The three men allegedly bought 80 by purchasing them three at time so that an alert wouldn't be triggered by the cash register.
They also paid cash.
An alert clerk grew suspicious and called Tuscola County central dispatch. The Caro Police Department sent a unit and stopped the rented van on M-81 just east of Caro. The suspects were headed towards Bad Axe on M-81 where there is another Super Wal-Mart.
The three men were described as being of Pakistani descent but live in Texas.
Police say the three, ages 19, 22, and 23 appear to be naturalized citizens.
One man was driving while the other two were in the back opening the phone packages with box cutters throwing the phones in one box, batteries in another and the packaging and phone charger in another container.
The suspects had 1000 other cell phones in the van. There was also a bag of receipts showing that someone was in Wisconsin the day before.
The phones were Nokia Tracfones selling for $20 at Wal-Mart. For your twenty dollars you receive a phone charger and 40 minutes of airtime.
The phones do not have to be registered with a name.
Also discovered was a laptop with store addresses and store logos.
(Excerpt) Read more at wnem.com ...
The suspects were headed towards Bad Axe...
&&
How ironic!
I just checked completed sales for Tracfones on eBay. They averaged about $20.
These are the same as the ones from WalMart. Now, nobody's selling these $20 phones for almost twice the price, especially with no batteries or charger.
Get real.
Yes.
Way too many coincidences.
There maybe an innocent answer, but in this day and age, we need answers.
Or worse yet...detonate them whenever they wanted...one at a time.
If they aren't just selling them, what do you think they are using them for. I was thinking triggers for EIDs and also just being able to call overseas or in country without being tracked.
"Cell Phones, Cell Phones For Sale! $38.00 and no batteries!"
Maybe they should sell Kool-Aid.
...and I'm the Tooth Fairy.
We have big arrests in Italy. We have the two or three incidents on these big cell phone purchases here. We have "students" going off their visas. We have more ties being found between the liguid bomb plot and Pakistani Al Quada.
I am feeling that we are just skimming off the top of a number of plots. The bulk of the iceberg is not yet visible.
ROFL!!!!
Major Ping!
I also noticed the explicit separation of the parts - phones, batteries, and "packaging and chargers". The packaging is trash, so the chargers must be as well. The batteries are separated to be used for the handful of phones kept out as one shot drop communications. The other lucky phones get to become detonators for IED's.
I think Hezbollah just mobilized against us here at home.
ACLU: "What, these upstanding citizens cannot purchase 1000 cell phones to sell at inflated prices which no one will pay? Their liberties are being infringed!"
I believe you are right. Thanks!
"If they aren't just selling them, what do you think they are using them for. I was thinking triggers for EIDs and also just being able to call overseas or in country without being tracked."
Nope. They can be used as triggers. They can also be used to synchronize other things. For example, suppose you have a cell that is planning multiple attacks somewhere. Imagine how easy that would be if someone called the perps on their little cell phone.
That's how the mob and gangs use these things. They're hard to trace, and almost impossible to monitor, so the bad guys use throwaway phones for all their communications.
In some cases, you never make two calls from the same phone. You use it once, then throw it away. Makes it impossible for your calls to be monitored.
Use a little creativity in your thinking. Disposable cell phones are widely used in the crime families, in drug dealing circles and elsewhere. I have no doubt that the terrorists are using them as well.
I'm more concerned about communications than I am about their use as bomb triggers.
Like I said, I wasn't saying that these guys aren't suspicious. Shoot, the fact that they are muslim, and doing something out of the ordinary is enough for me to say they need to be watched. Just that there are stupid people out there that buy things for more than they are worth.
"They also told officers they get stopped frequently and say they buy the phones for $20 and sell them elsewhere for $38."
But, to WHOM do they sell the phones, elsewhere?
We shouldn't be stopping them. We should be following them.
mark
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