Global Eye on Human Traffiking, 5 May 2009 
Olga Heaven spoke to the Global Eye team about the deception and exploitation of drug mules, and about the link between illicit drug importation and human trafficking.
How are people generally recruited into being drug mules?
They are recruited in different ways depending on the country, and depending on whether they are professional couriers or simply drug mules. A typical example of a drug mule is a single woman with two children and a mother to take care of. Something may have happened within the family, or the woman may owe money or fall behind with the rent or the school fees. A friend or family member who organises drugs transportation may identify her vulnerability and her need, and may lend her some money to pay off the bill. Then, within a couple of weeks, they will demand the money back knowing that she will not have it and will tell her she has to carry drugs for them. It’s a type of coercion but the woman does not see it this way because she owes them the money and feels obliged to pay it back. In other cases, women may have seen their friends or family travel and transport drugs and make money from it, and so they themselves seek out the recruiters. However, those cases are few and far between. The majority are either coerced or tricked into it.
In what geographical area do drug mule recruiters thrive?
The countries of origin vary but many are countries that are having severe economic problems. Previously, mules tended to come from countries such as Nigeria and Jamaica. More recently, however, we have seen a recent increase in drug mules from South Africa, the Caribbean islands and also from Europe.
Are the people recruited predominately women or are men also recruited?
We focus primarily on women because they are more vulnerable to being recruited than men since they tend to be the primary carer of their children and they are the ones that worry about food on the table, school fees, etc. Of course we do work with some men who were carers for their wives and children and who got caught up in the situation. These men seek us out because they know about our line of work.In such cases, we meet the wives and children and identify their needs and work with them.
In what ways do drug traffickers prey on these women’s vulnerabilities?
Apart from swooping in at times of financial crisis there are other cases such as the ‘boyfriend syndrome.’ For example, at one point we had five very young, very attractive women in prison. We eventually found out that all of them had the same boyfriend, and three of them had been made pregnant by him. They were beautiful young girls who would never have been in this situation if the social infrastructure of the country had been better.
Do you see a link between drug and human trafficking?
Yes, in many cases, women are sent with the drugs and when they arrive in the UK and deliver them, the drug traffickers who sent them will put them to work as a prostitute, drugs supplier or as a maid. These women are used for different purposes depending on their age and physical appearance. That is human trafficking. However, if the woman gets caught, the trafficking element doesn’t come into play. Instead, it’s the offence of drugs importation that becomes the most prevalent issue for the authorities. Hundreds of women who are drug mules have been trafficked and they don’t even realise it because the word trafficking is not prevalent in the community.
In what ways are drug mules deceived about the process of carrying the drugs?
There is deception about several things. Sometimes, the mules are deceived and receive no money, or as little as 100 GBP to be used as pocket money before they make the trip. Once they arrive in the country and get caught the only payment they will receive is this 100 GBP. In some cases when the mules are caught, the recruiters will tell them “you’ve wasted my money and my drugs and you have to carry the drugs again.” There is also a lot of deception about how the mules will get across the border. Usually the recruiters tell the women that if they have children and get caught, the drugs will be taken from them and they will simply be sent back home. What they fail to mention is that they could be sent to prison for their actions. In some countries where these women come from, they don’t imprison women that much or they don’t hear about it; this is why education is so important. You have to have sympathy for these women when you hear their stories. I mean it’s so complex, we have women from 18-70 that are carrying drugs. When we meet a typical woman who is in her mid to late 50s with grandchildren who is the sole provider for them and who decides to carry drugs because it’s the only way she is going to survive, you have to have sympathy for her.
Can you tell us more about the work you do in terms of reintegration in the mules’ origin country?
While the women are in prison we work with their children who remain in the country of origin by delivering food parcels, ensuring they go to school, and that they remain living with their extended family. We negotiate with the schools because you also have to pay for education in these countries, and try and get the kids back into school without paying. When a woman returns to her country of origin, we will work with her for a few months and we will identify what she learnt while in prison. Sometimes if a group of them have done knitting and crocheting, we will invite buyers to come and see the things they are selling. We also use these women in our educational campaigns in schools and we pay them to tell the children about their experiences. This type of initiative really works because it’s first hand information. For those that had jobs before they left, we try to find them another job. So we use different tactics depending on the situation. For more information on Hibiscus visit http://www. hibiscuslondon.org.uk/
