--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Officials in the state’s Department of…" description: "\"“Officials in the state’s Department of Public Safety executed an operation that, at a stroke, seized more than $1.6 billion in drugs from organized cr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/tom-wainwright-30497_organized-crime_officials-in-the-state-s-department-of-p_2243305.jpg" --- # Officials in the state’s Department of Public Safety… ![“Officials in the state’s Department of Public Safety executed an operation that, at a stroke, seized more than $1.6 billion in drugs from organized crime. The operation was notable for its stealthiness. It was carried out without a single shot being fired, or a single person being hurt. In fact…” quote by Tom Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/tom-wainwright-30497_organized-crime_officials-in-the-state-s-department-of-p_2243305.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/tom-wainwright-30497_organized-crime_officials-in-the-state-s-department-of-p_2243305.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/tom-wainwright-30497_organized-crime_officials-in-the-state-s-department-of-p_2243305.jpg) > ““Officials in the state’s Department of Public Safety executed an operation that, at a stroke, seized more than $1.6 billion in drugs from organized crime. The operation was notable for its stealthiness. It was carried out without a single shot being fired, or a single person being hurt. In fact, no officers even had to get up from their desks, let alone draw their weapons. The billion-dollar bust was made when officials decided that instead of calculating the value of the drugs they seized at the border using wholesale prices, they would instead calculate them using much higher retail prices. With a single tweak to a spreadsheet, the value of drugs intercepted in the state shot up from $161 million to $1.8 billion. Conveniently, the tenfold upward revision came just a week before the department was due to hand in a performance review.”” [Tom Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wainwright/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A minor accounting change inflated drug bust value, highlighting manipulation of data for image. **In simple terms:** Data can be twisted to look impressive. Key Takeaway Scrutinize reported figures. Themes transparency ethics accountability Mood analytical critical Type investigative journalistic When to use this quote - policy review - budget planning - public communication Key Concepts Data manipulation performance metrics Questions to Reflect On - How can organizations ensure data integrity? - What checks prevent such inflation? A Different Perspective Inflated numbers can mislead stakeholders. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bust Officials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bust-officials-5094649/) [Crime Operation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime-operation-5094648/) [Drugs Intercepted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drugs-intercepted-5094646/) [Drugs Seized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drugs-seized-4459672/) [Organized crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organized-crime/) [Performance review](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performance-review/) [Public safety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-safety/) [Seized Billion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seized-billion-5094647/) [Single person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-person/) ## Related quotes > [“I read recently that 60% of all drugs on the black-market had been put there by the police. No sooner are drugs seized, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-donaldson/i-read-recently-that-60-of-all-drugs-on-the-black-market-had-been-put/) [William Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-donaldson/) > [“Apple’s founder reportedly fired employees in the elevator and screamed at underperforming executives. Perhaps there is something endemic in the fast-paced technology business that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stone/apple-s-founder-reportedly-fired-employees-in-the-elevator-and/) [Brad Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stone/) > [“Andy Grove, the longtime CEO of Intel, was known to be so harsh and intimidating that a subordinate once fainted during a performance review.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stone/andy-grove-the-longtime-ceo-of-intel-was-known-to-be-so-harsh-and/) [Brad Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stone/) > [The best kind of performance review is no performance review](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-daniels/the-best-kind-of-performance-review-is-no-performance-review/) [Aubrey Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-daniels/) > [“PALATABLE CRITICISM: In a performance review, don't offer more than three criticisms. That's all an employee can digest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-humphries/palatable-criticism-in-a-performance-review-don-t-offer-more-than/) [Nancy Humphries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-humphries/) > [A lot of companies lock up for a few weeks once a year for performance reviews. But there's a way to collect feedback in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-butterfield/a-lot-of-companies-lock-up-for-a-few-weeks-once-a-year-for/) [Stewart Butterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-butterfield/) > [Done right, a performance review is one of the best opportunities to encourage and support high performers and constructively improve your middle- and lower-tier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-minshew/done-right-a-performance-review-is-one-of-the-best-opportunities-to/) [Kathryn Minshew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-minshew/) > [“Look at your list of bad habits. For each one you’ve written down, identify what triggers it. Figure out what I call “The Big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-hardy/look-at-your-list-of-bad-habits-for-each-one-you-ve-written-down/) [Darren Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-hardy/) > [God gets the easiest performance reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/god-gets-the-easiest-performance-reviews/) [Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/) > [I sleep very well, although sometimes it's hard to go to sleep 'cos I'm so excited about the business performance review the following day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-mulally/i-sleep-very-well-although-sometimes-it-s-hard-to-go-to-sleep-cos-i-m/) [Alan Mulally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-mulally/) > [Tales of cheating on school and college tests are rife. There have been instances where teachers have given students test answers in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-meyer/tales-of-cheating-on-school-and-college-tests-are-rife-there-have/) [Pamela Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-meyer/) > [When you hire that first person, then you're a boss. You've got performance reviews. You've got complaints about not making enough money. You've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/when-you-hire-that-first-person-then-you-re-a-boss-you-ve-got/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [The system that people work in and the interaction with people may account for 90 or 95 percent of performance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-edwards-deming/the-system-that-people-work-in-and-the-interaction-with-people-may/) [W. Edwards Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-edwards-deming/) > [Traditional performance reviews have passed their sell-by date. Big time. There's research showing that roughly two-thirds of performance appraisals have either no effect -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-pink/traditional-performance-reviews-have-passed-their-sell-by-date-big/) [Daniel H. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-pink/) > [Not that there's anything wrong with that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/not-that-there-s-anything-wrong-with-that/) [Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/) ## More by Tom Wainwright > [“Trust, something that one might think would be hard to establish in an anonymous environment where the players are all crooks, is earned using…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wainwright/trust-something-that-one-might-think-would-be-hard-to-establish-in-an/) [Tom Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wainwright/) > [“Because of the difficulty involved in hiring new employees, and in making new contacts in the import and export game, drug traffickers may in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wainwright/because-of-the-difficulty-involved-in-hiring-new-employees-and-in/) [Tom Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wainwright/) > [“The result is that incumbents stay in business, facing only limited competition, even as they charge high prices for poor service.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wainwright/the-result-is-that-incumbents-stay-in-business-facing-only-limited/) [Tom Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wainwright/) > [“The cops aren’t the only ones who hunt for cannabis farms in this way: criminals in Birmingham, England, have been caught using drones equipped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wainwright/the-cops-aren-t-the-only-ones-who-hunt-for-cannabis-farms-in-this-way/) [Tom Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wainwright/) > [“new disciples of La Familia Michoacana, a bloodthirsty Mexican drug cartel, are reportedly forced to read the works of John Eldredge, an American author…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wainwright/new-disciples-of-la-familia-michoacana-a-bloodthirsty-mexican-drug/) [Tom Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wainwright/) > [ “All you have to do is look at Colorado: real estate is up, 30,000 jobs added, retail is up, state tax \[revenues\] up.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wainwright/all-you-have-to-do-is-look-at-colorado-real-estate-is-up-30-000-jobs/) [Tom Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wainwright/) > [“It estimated that for every $1 million spent on controlling supply in “source countries” in Latin America, there would be a reduction of about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wainwright/it-estimated-that-for-every-1-million-spent-on-controlling-supply-in/) [Tom Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wainwright/) > [“Economists have another way of measuring the “centrality” of a node in a network: rather than simply counting the number of connections, they take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wainwright/economists-have-another-way-of-measuring-the-centrality-of-a-node-in/) [Tom Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wainwright/) > [“Disney has diversified not through its key skills—after all, running a theme park or a cruise ship has little in common with making a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wainwright/disney-has-diversified-not-through-its-key-skills-after-all-running-a/) [Tom Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wainwright/) > [“MISTAKE TWO: SAVING MONEY EARLY ON AND PAYING FOR IT LATER Even”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wainwright/mistake-two-saving-money-early-on-and-paying-for-it-later-even/) [Tom Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wainwright/) > [“Sellers are forced to compete more seriously on price, quality, and customer service, rather than being able to stay in business simply because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wainwright/sellers-are-forced-to-compete-more-seriously-on-price-quality-and/) [Tom Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wainwright/) > [“The full details of the strange tale are recorded in what is perhaps the weirdest case name in American legal history: United States of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wainwright/the-full-details-of-the-strange-tale-are-recorded-in-what-is-perhaps/) [Tom Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wainwright/) > [“(In one of the most harrowing initiation ordeals, new disciples of La Familia Michoacana, a bloodthirsty Mexican drug cartel, are reportedly forced to read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wainwright/in-one-of-the-most-harrowing-initiation-ordeals-new-disciples-of-la/) [Tom Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wainwright/) > [“onslaught from a big, well-funded household name. The way the industry is set up means that large companies would have big advantages: better able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wainwright/onslaught-from-a-big-well-funded-household-name-the-way-the-industry/) [Tom Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wainwright/) > [“Sending a teenager to jail costs more than it would to send him to Eton College, the private boarding school in England that educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wainwright/sending-a-teenager-to-jail-costs-more-than-it-would-to-send-him-to/) [Tom Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wainwright/) [Explore all 17 Tom Wainwright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wainwright/) ## More Organized crime quotes > [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/) [Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/) > [ \[As in the case of\] alcohol prohibition, illegality has driven organized crime, sent countless people to jail, and killed many thousands. Repression does not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-branson/as-in-the-case-of-alcohol-prohibition-illegality-has-driven-organized/) [Sam Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-branson/) > [We must regard Sarah Palin as the Carmella Soprano of the GOP -- an enabling wife of organized crime, who sees, hears and speaks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cintra-wilson/we-must-regard-sarah-palin-as-the-carmella-soprano-of-the-gop-an/) [Cintra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cintra-wilson/) > [When you get to political machines that can control a state, then you're really into organized crime - almost. You're fighting a political mafia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-capra/when-you-get-to-political-machines-that-can-control-a-state-then-you/) [Frank Capra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-capra/) > [Environmental degradation, overpopulation, refugees, narcotics, terrorism, world crime movements, and organized crime are worldwide problems that don't stop at a nation's borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-christopher/environmental-degradation-overpopulation-refugees-narcotics-terrorism/) [Warren Christopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-christopher/) > [“First-order consequences of Prohibition: alcohol is made illegal, legitimate producers of alcohol go out of business, decrease in drinking.   Second-order consequences of Prohibition:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-marshall/first-order-consequences-of-prohibition-alcohol-is-made-illegal/) [Sebastian Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-marshall/) > [Once I got interested in organized crime, and, specifically, Jewish organized crime, I got very interested in it. I have learned that, like my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-lazar/once-i-got-interested-in-organized-crime-and-specifically-jewish/) [Zachary Lazar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-lazar/) > [Whether my acting was obscene, or whether it was distasteful, well, Judge Rehnquist, who just recently passed away couldn't define pornography. His comment on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-reems/whether-my-acting-was-obscene-or-whether-it-was-distasteful-well/) [Harry Reems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-reems/) > [Any time that you have a sporting event with a Vegas line to it, there's always going to be somebody involved in organized crime…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-donaghy/any-time-that-you-have-a-sporting-event-with-a-vegas-line-to-it-there/) [Tim Donaghy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-donaghy/) > [Grave security concerns can arise as a result of demographic trends, chronic poverty, economic inequality, environmental degradation, pandemic diseases, organized crime, repressive governance and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ban-ki-moon/grave-security-concerns-can-arise-as-a-result-of-demographic-trends/) [Ban Ki-moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ban-ki-moon/) > [“Later that same year John F. Kennedy was elected president by a thin margin. The first thing he did was appoint his brother attorney…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/later-that-same-year-john-f-kennedy-was-elected-president-by-a-thin/) [Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/) > [ Drugs are available to those who want them. And where are those profits going? Into organized crime, \[to criminals\] who spend their profits on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-branson/drugs-are-available-to-those-who-want-them-and-where-are-those/) [Sam Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-branson/) > [“When the payoff for organizing violence at a large scale tumbles, the payoff from violence at a smaller scale is likely to jump. Violence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dale-davidson/when-the-payoff-for-organizing-violence-at-a-large-scale-tumbles-the/) [James Dale Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dale-davidson/) > [Illegal killings of elephants are being linked to organized crime and the funding of armed militia groups. Many consumers in Asia do not realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-bingbing/illegal-killings-of-elephants-are-being-linked-to-organized-crime-and/) [Li Bingbing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-bingbing/) > [“Ring One is where my people live. Well, not my people, but the closest thing I want to find: the freaks, the runaways, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-j-white/ring-one-is-where-my-people-live-well-not-my-people-but-the-closest/) [Corey J. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-j-white/) [Browse all 103 Organized crime quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organized-crime/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Officials in the state’s Department of Public Safety executed an operation that, at a stroke, seized more than $1.6 billion in drugs from organized crime. The operation was notable for its stealthiness. It was carried out without a single shot being fired, or a single person being hurt. In fact, no officers even had to get up from their desks, let alone draw their weapons. The billion-dollar bust was made when officials decided that instead of calculating the value of the drugs they seized at the border using wholesale prices, they would instead calculate them using much higher retail prices. With a single tweak to a spreadsheet, the value of drugs intercepted in the state shot up from $161 million to $1.8 billion. 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