KOTA KINABALU: A woman deeply regrets being a drug mule and is urging others not to make the same mistake that could destroy their future.
It has been 10 long years since the ordeal, but Jen (not her real name) from Hubei, China, still vividly recalls the nightmare of being caught trafficking drugs into the country.
Arriving at Kota Kinabalu International Airport in Sabah with a suitcase whose contents she was unaware of, Jen now recognises how her blind trust in a so-called friend led her down a dark path.
The friend, who worked at a factory back home in China, had convinced Jen to carry the baggage to Sabah in exchange for RM2,000.
Reflecting on her choices, the 32-year-old expressed sorrow for becoming an unwitting drug mule – a decision that cost her her freedom until at least 2034.
“I can only weep when the authorities told me there were drugs in my bag,” she recalled during the Prison Department’s psychoeducation programme at the women’s prison.
“The drugs were hidden under the clothes inside; I was at a loss for words.”
Jen wished she had seen the danger in her friend’s offer, which ultimately destroyed her life and caused immense suffering for her family.
For trafficking 4kg of drugs, Jen was sentenced to a mandatory death penalty under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, a sentence that hung over her until her appeal was accepted on April 23, changing her fate to a release in 2034.
“My family kept asking me each time I called home when I was coming back to China, but I had no answer to give them,” she said.
Having spent the past decade in a Malaysian prison, Jen shares that her limited Malay language skills have enabled her to converse with local inmates.
“I learned by listening to others speak and used a dictionary to improve my understanding.
“I can now read Malay novels,” she said.
