Local women in jails abroad
In the last year Namibians have made headlines for being arrested in foreign countries for carrying drugs or for other crimes.
Security experts are of the view that with the cash crunch in the country more desperate locals may be easily convinced to act as drug mules for individuals and organisations.
According to the Namibian Police Drug Trafficking Unit there are currently three Namibians in foreign prisons for drug trafficking, and all of them are women.
The police said the three women trafficked in cocaine to the value about N$4 million.
Two women are being held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and one in South Africa.
In April this year a Namibian woman was denied bail in a South African court after she was arrested for possession of cocaine worth N$2 million.
Lena de Waal, 33, was arrested at the airport when about 5kg of cocaine was found during a routine luggage check.
In May a 30-year-old woman was arrested at the Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport in Brazil. Dedre Anzell Strauss was allegedly in possession of cocaine.
The drug unit says a 30-year-old woman was jailed in Sao Paulo in November last year. No further details are available.
The Namibian police have warned young women not to fall victim to unscrupulous foreigners who recruit them as drug mules.
Police said incidents of Namibian women being used in such crimes are becoming more common.
Recruiters are reported to target desperate girls, paying them nominal fees, while retaining the bulk of the smuggling fee.
While the police insist that there are only three Namibians in foreign prisons for drug-related crimes, other reports contradict this information.
Last year in April another woman, Melanie van Niekerk, was arrested in Brazil after allegedly being found in possession of drugs at an airport.
It was also reported in January last year that a 50-year-old Namibian man was arrested in India after he allegedly arrived from New Delhi with 20 kilogrammes of ephedrine (tik) in Bengaluru. The suspect was en route to Johannesburg, South Africa.
In June this year the Namibian embassy in Brazil confirmed that there were five Namibian women in Brazilian prisons for drug-related crimes. The sentence imposed for such crimes is up to ten years.
Last year the police said that close to 50 Namibians were serving time in foreign jails in places as far away as India and Brazil, as well as Angola and South Africa, for various crimes, including rape, robbery and drug trafficking.
Some were detained for theft, fraud and illegal immigration.
Since last month Namibian Sun has been requesting further data from the drug unit to compare figures on the arrests of Namibians in foreign countries over the past ten years. Until now no feedback has been received.
ELLANIE SMIT
Security experts are of the view that with the cash crunch in the country more desperate locals may be easily convinced to act as drug mules for individuals and organisations.
According to the Namibian Police Drug Trafficking Unit there are currently three Namibians in foreign prisons for drug trafficking, and all of them are women.
The police said the three women trafficked in cocaine to the value about N$4 million.
Two women are being held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and one in South Africa.
In April this year a Namibian woman was denied bail in a South African court after she was arrested for possession of cocaine worth N$2 million.
Lena de Waal, 33, was arrested at the airport when about 5kg of cocaine was found during a routine luggage check.
In May a 30-year-old woman was arrested at the Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport in Brazil. Dedre Anzell Strauss was allegedly in possession of cocaine.
The drug unit says a 30-year-old woman was jailed in Sao Paulo in November last year. No further details are available.
The Namibian police have warned young women not to fall victim to unscrupulous foreigners who recruit them as drug mules.
Police said incidents of Namibian women being used in such crimes are becoming more common.
Recruiters are reported to target desperate girls, paying them nominal fees, while retaining the bulk of the smuggling fee.
While the police insist that there are only three Namibians in foreign prisons for drug-related crimes, other reports contradict this information.
Last year in April another woman, Melanie van Niekerk, was arrested in Brazil after allegedly being found in possession of drugs at an airport.
It was also reported in January last year that a 50-year-old Namibian man was arrested in India after he allegedly arrived from New Delhi with 20 kilogrammes of ephedrine (tik) in Bengaluru. The suspect was en route to Johannesburg, South Africa.
In June this year the Namibian embassy in Brazil confirmed that there were five Namibian women in Brazilian prisons for drug-related crimes. The sentence imposed for such crimes is up to ten years.
Last year the police said that close to 50 Namibians were serving time in foreign jails in places as far away as India and Brazil, as well as Angola and South Africa, for various crimes, including rape, robbery and drug trafficking.
Some were detained for theft, fraud and illegal immigration.
Since last month Namibian Sun has been requesting further data from the drug unit to compare figures on the arrests of Namibians in foreign countries over the past ten years. Until now no feedback has been received.
ELLANIE SMIT
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