More women arrested as drug mules

More women arrested as drug mules
Posted: 06 April 2010 2023 hrs
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SINGAPORE: 15 women from Singapore were arrested last year for drug offences linked to West African syndicates. Three women were arrested for such offences in 2008.

MediaCorp spoke to one drug mule who managed to save herself in the nick of time.

Joanne, not her real name, got to know a man by the name of Hassan on tagged.com.

Joanne who is in her mid 30's said a few months into their online relationship, Hassan asked her to bring some documents for him into China.

She met someone in Kuala Lumpur to collect the documents.

Joanne took the envelope to China but passed it to someone else as Hassan didn't turn up.

Hassan asked her to carry some documents to China again.

She was alerted to her unusually heavy leather suitcase by a taxi driver who was ferrying her to the KL airport.

The taxi driver told her there was something suspicious about the suitcase.

She discovered a small package wrapped with black tape.

At that point, Joanne was overcome with fear as she suspected it could be drugs.

She left the suitcase in a hotel and made her way back to Singapore where she informed the police.

MediaCorp understands the Singapore and Malaysia police launched a joint operation to seize the drugs in the suitcase.

She said: "I am lucky that I'm still alive. I hate him and I am angry with his lies and I don't trust people so easily anymore."

The Central Narcotics Bureau reminds Singaporeans to be alert and to think twice about suspicious offers of free travel. - CNA/vm