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Jailed in paradise
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Immigrants were once detained at Ellis Island in NJ & NY.
Tough economic times face many people, but do not allow a difficult economic predicament to make you vulnerable to what may seem like the “opportunity of a lifetime” to earn “easy money.”
Upright citizens, honors graduates, the girl or boy from next door, these are the people that find themselves locked up abroad for drug offenses.
How did the good foreign citizen turn into a bad guest? It's often unfortunate circumstance that leads these citizens down a road never dreamed of.
Raw TV produces a program titled “Locked up abroad” which airs on the Nat Geo channel in the United States. The series features foreigners from the U.S. and other English speaking countries who tell their tales in their own words with dramatic recreations of the events filmed on location and at the actual foreign prisons.
The majority of the stories feature a common theme: the individuals are on the virtual brink of bankruptcy and struggling to get by. A friend or a stranger approaches them out of nowhere preying on their vulnerability and offers them an all expenses paid vacation and a large commission in exchange for smuggling illegal narcotics, such as marijuana, cocaine or heroin.
Assured that it's been accomplished many times before successfully, the individuals agree to carry out the task due to their desperation, naivety, and in some instances greed.
Once abroad, the “volunteers” burn up their spending money, find themselves running out of hotels without paying the bills, or completely broke and seemingly with no alternatives other than to complete their illicit and risky assignment in spite of their second thoughts, doubts and better intuition.
Busted and jailed in sub-standard and sub-human conditions, the foreigners find themselves facing sentences that range anywhere from three years to ten years, life or even capital punishments such as death by hanging or by firing squad.
It's “Brokedown Palace” brought to real life.
Many featured in the series have had the good fortune to be released early, transferred back to their home countries to serve the remainder of their sentences or pardoned by the foreign rulers.
Learning from the hardships of their experiences the former convicts have redirected their lives for the better. Sandra Gregory is a British Citizen who was arrested in Thailand for attempting to smuggle heroin. Gregory wrote an autobiography, “Forget you had a daughter,” a title based on a letter she wrote to her mother from jail in Thailand. The book narrates her unfortunate circumstances, poor judgments and eventual conviction and imprisonment in Thailand.
In 2001 Gregory received a royal pardon from the King of Thailand and with her new take on life and a fresh opportunity she applied to and graduated from the prestigious British university of Oxford.
Simon Burke is another British citizen who was imprisoned in Peru on charges of drug smuggling, but Simon was the victim of an old friend's swindle. To pay off her debts, Sarah Jackson accepted a proposition to smuggle 10 kilos of cocaine from Peru back to London, England. In need of an alibi Sarah offered her old friend Simon an all expenses paid vacation to South America. Simon was unaware of Sarah's ulterior motives when he accepted her deceitful gift.
Sarah was eventually detained in Lima's Jorge Chavez International airport and Simon was subsequently arrested with her. Fortunately for Simon, Sarah was decent enough to admit that he was not involved and was in fact innocent of the charges presented against him. Despite Sarah's protest for her innocent friend Simon was still incarcerated and later placed on house arrest until Sarah's involvement and trial could be determined; a process that can take up to three years in Peru.
Simon was recently released last November, absolved of all charges, and permitted to return home to the United Kingdom in time for Christmas with his family. His former friend, Sarah Jackson, still faces drug charges and remains jailed in Peru.
A financial crisis, a free vacation, a large sum of easy money. Vulnerability is begotten from difficult circumstances and offers too good to be true.
When traveling or living abroad it is important to utilize all of your resources when you are faced with difficult situations.
Your friends and family members would rather see you arrive home safely than be jailed in a foreign country for poor decisions made out of desperation.
The U.S. Embassy cannot influence the judicial proceedings of a foreign country when an American citizen is arrested. They can only assure that you, as an American citizen, are being treated and cared for humanely.
If you are abroad and you find yourself in a difficult situation, contact the American Citizen Services Unit of the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in the country you are visiting or residing in. There are emergency services available to U.S. Citizens and possible U.S. law enforcement assistance if you are involved in a drug smuggling conspiracy that you no longer want to participate in.
Ultimately you are putting a price on your freedom and life when you agree to participate in illicit activities. Financial author, Robert Kiyosaki, of “Rich Dad Poor Dad” fame, has proven through his own economic hardships and tough experiences that there are easier means to make money legally than to risk financial gain through illegal transactions.
Don't let your brokedown finances turn into a “brokedown palace.” You just may find yourself “locked up abroad” if you choose the desperate route to easy and deceitful monetary salvation.
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