Drug mules are recruited from Springs
At least four people from Geduld have been caught in foreign countries for drug smuggling.
A Springs woman has spoken out about drug “exporters” who use people from Geduld as mules to take cocaine out of the country.
The woman, who has asked to remain anonymous out of fear for her life, contends she has someone close to her awaiting trial in Hong Kong for smuggling 2kg of cocaine worth about $1,94-million (approximately R1 245 923) into that country.
She says she knows of at least three other people from Geduld who have been caught for drug smuggling.
These include a woman who received a life sentence in January for smuggling cocaine worth about $2,2-m (R1 412 902) into Hong Kong where she was caught at the Hong Kong International Airport.
An elderly man is, according to the woman, in a prison in Malaysia serving a sentence for drug smuggling and a second man is in Modderbee Prison for the same offence.
She says there is a man living in Springs who uses desperate, poor and addicted people, especially from Geduld, to go overseas with cocaine in their baggage, risking their lives.
Some of his “workers”, who usually addicted to drugs, are being paid exuberant amounts for persuading others to become drug mules for the man.
The woman says she did confront this man after her relative had been to eastern countries several times on drug “deliveries” for him, but realises it was her relative’s choice to go.
She says that through this relative’s delivery trip she has learnt that a drug mule’s hotel is booked for him or her in both the eastern country and one close to OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA).
She heard these mules are “safe” at ORTIA because some officials are allegedly bribed to let the drug mule’s baggage through customs.
The risk to the drug mule come on entering the destination country with the cocaine in their baggage.
The woman says when her relative took the cocaine to the east, he was picked up in Geduld and for a few days stayed in a hotel close to ORTIA before flying.
His cellphone’s sim card was taken and he has an unlimited supply of drugs while waiting to get his baggage, passport, air ticket and hotel reservations for his mission.
The drugs were hidden in a secret compartment in the suitcase they issued him.
The case is then also packed with expensive clothing, shoes and accessories to give the impression that he is a businessman.
He was also dressed in expensive clothing and received R500 for food and spending money.
Once a drug mule has safely cleared customs at their destination, they then go to the prebooked hotel to the hand-over of the drugs.
She commented that her relative would stay in the country for at least two weeks and after returning to SA without being caught would receive between R20 000 and R25 000 for the delivery, depending on the size of the package.
The woman says many of these drug mules use the money they receive from a delivery within a short period on drugs, which makes them vulnerable to being drawn back into the act of being a mule and increasing the chance of getting caught.
