threatened him with an iron bar. He also claimed they had to show him how to crush rocks of heroin and safely strap the powder concealed in packets to his body. He was then told to meet them at the same fast food restaurant again six days later, 10 December. He had time on his hands so he decided to fly to Ho Chi Minh City for some sightseeing and buy some Christmas presents for his family and friends. According to his statements he bought the company of prostitutes but claimed he did not have sex with them. As soon as he checked into the airport to fly to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnamese undercover agents were also on his trail keeping him under surveillance but with orders not to arrest him under any circumstances. No one could be sure what his motives were in going to Vietnam or who he might meet there. 'He was watched everywhere he went', said my informant. 'He didn't suspect a thing'. As it turned out Nguyen's trip to Vietnam was an innocent excursion but it caused him to miss his appointment by one day. They were furious but accepted his excuse. He was then introduced to the consignment of heroin, returned to his hotel and divided it into to two packets weighing almost 2 kilograms each, then strapped them to his back.
He was so nervous on the flight to Singapore that one of the packets strapped to his back became loose. When it slipped off his back and fell into the aisle when he went to the toilet, he became even more nervous. He must have felt certain he was being watched - if not by an undercover agent, then a member of the syndicate ensuring that he completed the transaction. He eyed the passengers on his way back to his seat wondering which ones, if any, were watching him and why. 'One of our men was actually sitting just a few rows behind him', said my informant. The day after Nguyen's arrest, the Central Narcotics Bureau issued the following statement:
On 12 December 2005 at about 19.45 hours, as part of stepped-up security checks at all checkpoints, CIAS Auxiliary Police at Changi International airport, conducted a routine check on a 22-year-old male Vietnamese of Australian nationality at the boarding gate. Upon checking him, they found a packet of heroin weighing about 382 grams strapped to his back. He then informed officers that there was another packet of heroin in his hand-held haversack bag. Upon searching the haversack, a packet of heroin weighing about 380 grams was seized. The case was then referred to CNB for investigation. The male Australian is a salesman and was transiting Singap ore on his way to Australia. He will be charged in court for possession of a controlled drug for the purpose of trafficking. Under the Misuse of Drugs Act, a person who is found guilty of possession for the purpose of trafficking in more than 15 grams of heroin will face the death penalty. The seized drugs will be sent to the Health Sciences Authority for analysis of the weight of the controlled drugs. In view of the current global situation, enforcement agencies at all entry and exit points are working closely together to step up security inspections of all persons, goods and vehicles entering or leaving Singapore. As a result, drug traffickers can also expect to face a heightened gauntlet of security checks and measures at our entry and exit points.
According to court papers, the money Van Nguyen claimed he was being pressured for totalled only $25,000. Khoa's urgent debt was a mere $12,000. By his own admission Van could earn $25,000 a year in a regular job. It seemed very small money to risk one's life for. It seemed an unlikely story. I was introduced to the former CNB just as I was completing research for this book. I wanted to dig deeper into the Nguyen's inexplicably dangerous drug run. Was he really such a hapless, desperate mule or someone trying to get into the big time with Khoa? There was no real defence except some wrangling over legal technicalities: were his rights infringed when he was interrogated without a
He was so nervous on the flight to Singapore that one of the packets strapped to his back became loose. When it slipped off his back and fell into the aisle when he went to the toilet, he became even more nervous. He must have felt certain he was being watched - if not by an undercover agent, then a member of the syndicate ensuring that he completed the transaction. He eyed the passengers on his way back to his seat wondering which ones, if any, were watching him and why. 'One of our men was actually sitting just a few rows behind him', said my informant. The day after Nguyen's arrest, the Central Narcotics Bureau issued the following statement:
On 12 December 2005 at about 19.45 hours, as part of stepped-up security checks at all checkpoints, CIAS Auxiliary Police at Changi International airport, conducted a routine check on a 22-year-old male Vietnamese of Australian nationality at the boarding gate. Upon checking him, they found a packet of heroin weighing about 382 grams strapped to his back. He then informed officers that there was another packet of heroin in his hand-held haversack bag. Upon searching the haversack, a packet of heroin weighing about 380 grams was seized. The case was then referred to CNB for investigation. The male Australian is a salesman and was transiting Singap ore on his way to Australia. He will be charged in court for possession of a controlled drug for the purpose of trafficking. Under the Misuse of Drugs Act, a person who is found guilty of possession for the purpose of trafficking in more than 15 grams of heroin will face the death penalty. The seized drugs will be sent to the Health Sciences Authority for analysis of the weight of the controlled drugs. In view of the current global situation, enforcement agencies at all entry and exit points are working closely together to step up security inspections of all persons, goods and vehicles entering or leaving Singapore. As a result, drug traffickers can also expect to face a heightened gauntlet of security checks and measures at our entry and exit points.
According to court papers, the money Van Nguyen claimed he was being pressured for totalled only $25,000. Khoa's urgent debt was a mere $12,000. By his own admission Van could earn $25,000 a year in a regular job. It seemed very small money to risk one's life for. It seemed an unlikely story. I was introduced to the former CNB just as I was completing research for this book. I wanted to dig deeper into the Nguyen's inexplicably dangerous drug run. Was he really such a hapless, desperate mule or someone trying to get into the big time with Khoa? There was no real defence except some wrangling over legal technicalities: were his rights infringed when he was interrogated without a
Similar Books
