OK this is how I see the situation.
Here's me -->
Here's Google's spam dept. --> |snail
I see the same spammers in the serps today as was 4 months ago.
Maybe Google will act on extreme cases, but for a medium collection of drops or redirections they are not (IMO) doing anything about it.
I know, I know, that they claim their algo will eventually weed out stuff. But I honestly see the same spammers using the same tricks over and over again.
Link lists use blacklists... and I think that Google should consider using their's a little more than they do.
Without a deterrent there is no cure.