Patriot Act combats cold meds, cigarette smuggling

[patric]

"The U.S. Senate voted 89-10 to reauthorize the USA Patriot Act today and the bill includes provisions, co-authored by California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, that will put certain cold medications behind the drugstore counter."
http://www.cbs5.com/localwire/localfsnews/bcn/2006/03/02/n/HeadlineNews/FEINSTEIN-METH/resources_bcn_html

"You already know that it reauthorizes so-called 'sneak and peek' warrants, and that notification of such searches can be delayed indefinitely. You'll never know the feds were in your house, and (if you're reading this) likely found nothing at all.
What you may not know is that it also has a whole bunch of unrelated stuff attached to it now.
For instance, it makes smuggling 10,000 or more cigarettes a federal crime. (A case contains 10,000 cigarettes; 50 cartons of 10 packs of 20 cigarettes.)
It makes federal crimes of methamphetamine possession and distribution, with penalties up to 20 years in prison.
And it makes it illegal to be near 'bridges, garages, tracks, warehouses, or other facilities used by railroads, boats or airplanes' with a weapon, or to take photographs of such facilities with 'intent to do harm,' with penalties ranging all the way up to the death penalty."
http://www.ioerror.us/2005/12/13/patriot-act-reauthorization-includes-meth-cigarette-smuggling