South African Woman Jailed 25 Years For Heroin Smuggling

[guig]

Based on my 15 years working as a Custom's Officer (yes, I was one of those bastards that gave you a hard time at the airport) the only factor that changed when it came to the importation of drugs was the method. One month it was Heroin in bottles from Vietnam, the next it was the Nigerians sending Herion in Books. The methods became more and more clever but it always seemed to repeat it self eventually. What always amused me was having gone to all that trouble of arranging a mule they never had a story prepared. Five or six questions on the same subject and it was all over..........no depth to their stories. Having caught, interviewed and charged hundreds of these drug smugglers/couriers the common thread was greed, stupidity, threaten by others or a combination of all the above. The numbers being caught remained the same and the type of drugs being imported changed slightly depending on current trends and ease of importation.

From my perspective the current system does not deter drug lords, why should they care what happens to the mules? For every failed importation several more get through. Its all a matter of numbers. Does the Governemts really care? My belief is not really, they are more concerned about facilitating passengers through the airport as quickly as possible.

Guig,,,,

[ReeBkk]

What a bunch of dim-witted censorious moralists!! You actually seem to think that the mere carrying of drugs is evil, and that taking them is terrible, and that this poor woman deserves this sentence. You obviously think that prohibition is sensible and right.

The "war on drugs" is an idiocy that has created most of the criminality in the world today and cost society untold billions and untold misery. Drugs should be decriminalised and state-controlled, with support and care for addicts. That policy would be an immense improvement on the current state of affairs worldwide (except in a few enlightened European countries), costing the whole lot of us far far less in taxes and suffering.

People who support the current drastic penalisation of drug-takers and drug-traders are simply out to lunch.

Finally some sense!

[Nurse]

Alcohol and Tobacco Kill Millions worlwide each and every year.

Should we execute users and dealers of these killers, or let the governments control and tax them like they do ?

How many Millions of people are addicted to prescription drugs worldwide ? How many die as a result of such a terrible addiction ?

Should we execute these people too, execute the doctors who prescribe them, execute the corporation executives that manufacture them, execute the Politicians from the political parties that are given hundreds of Millions of $$$$ a year in campaign funds from such corporations ?

Wars on Drugs are pointless and will never ever work, decriminalisation and education are the only way forward, look at prohibition in the USA, that was a real success uh ?

People will always want mind altering drugs, always have done , always will do. the trade in such commodities will only cease when the Human race decides it does not want to get stoned , high, lerhargic , smashed, drunk etc etc anymore, and that will never ever happen.

Decriminalisation and education can help solve a problem, locking up this woman for 25 years solves nothing at all. If there was decriminalisation she would not have been doing it at all.

I wonder how many members here would buy alcohol through Illegal means if it was outlawed tomorrow and it was against the law to drink ?

There would then become a massive black market controlled by criminal gangs that would make and distribute Alcohol to citizens just like your good selves, that's why the Government controls and taxes the Alcohol trade themselves, as they do with nicotine addiction in smokers.

[Jonathanpattaya]

What a bunch of dim-witted censorious moralists!! You actually seem to think that the mere carrying of drugs is evil, and that taking them is terrible, and that this poor woman deserves this sentence. You obviously think that prohibition is sensible and right.

The "war on drugs" is an idiocy that has created most of the criminality in the world today and cost society untold billions and untold misery. Drugs should be decriminalised and state-controlled, with support and care for addicts. That policy would be an immense improvement on the current state of affairs worldwide (except in a few enlightened European countries), costing the whole lot of us far far less in taxes and suffering.

People who support the current drastic penalisation of drug-takers and drug-traders are simply out to lunch.

Well said. My sentiments exactly. I have been saying this for years.

[Baan Kiki]

What a bunch of dim-witted censorious moralists!! You actually seem to think that the mere carrying of drugs is evil, and that taking them is terrible, and that this poor woman deserves this sentence. You obviously think that prohibition is sensible and right.

The "war on drugs" is an idiocy that has created most of the criminality in the world today and cost society untold billions and untold misery. Drugs should be decriminalised and state-controlled, with support and care for addicts. That policy would be an immense improvement on the current state of affairs worldwide (except in a few enlightened European countries), costing the whole lot of us far far less in taxes and suffering.

People who support the current drastic penalisation of drug-takers and drug-traders are simply out to lunch.

you are a clown

No, actually he is right.

The C.I.A. get their money from G.O.D. Gold, Oil & Drugs and under the Taliban there was no heroin exported from Afghanistan, now the taps have been turned fully on. It’s been going on since the Chinese drug wars. The ‘Drug War’ is only rhetoric as it’s an integral part of the US economy the same as most if not all of the other, so called, wars.

War = money = profit, we are all slaves to the tax man and those that he misses pay in other ways like drugs and having our land stolen by oil companies.

[neverdie]

What a bunch of dim-witted censorious moralists!! You actually seem to think that the mere carrying of drugs is evil, and that taking them is terrible, and that this poor woman deserves this sentence. You obviously think that prohibition is sensible and right.

The "war on drugs" is an idiocy that has created most of the criminality in the world today and cost society untold billions and untold misery. Drugs should be decriminalised and state-controlled, with support and care for addicts. That policy would be an immense improvement on the current state of affairs worldwide (except in a few enlightened European countries), costing the whole lot of us far far less in taxes and suffering.

People who support the current drastic penalisation of drug-takers and drug-traders are simply out to lunch.

you are a clown

No, actually he is right.

The C.I.A. get their money from G.O.D. Gold, Oil & Drugs and under the Taliban there was no heroin exported from Afghanistan, now the taps have been turned fully on. It's been going on since the Chinese drug wars. The 'Drug War' is only rhetoric as it's an integral part of the US economy the same as most if not all of the other, so called, wars.

War = money = profit, we are all slaves to the tax man and those that he misses pay in other ways like drugs and having our land stolen by oil companies.

Another BIG CONSPIRACY theory

[wackysleet]

What a bunch of dim-witted censorious moralists!! You actually seem to think that the mere carrying of drugs is evil, and that taking them is terrible, and that this poor woman deserves this sentence. You obviously think that prohibition is sensible and right.

The "war on drugs" is an idiocy that has created most of the criminality in the world today and cost society untold billions and untold misery. Drugs should be decriminalised and state-controlled, with support and care for addicts. That policy would be an immense improvement on the current state of affairs worldwide (except in a few enlightened European countries), costing the whole lot of us far far less in taxes and suffering.

People who support the current drastic penalisation of drug-takers and drug-traders are simply out to lunch.

you are a clown

No, actually he is right.

The C.I.A. get their money from G.O.D. Gold, Oil & Drugs and under the Taliban there was no heroin exported from Afghanistan, now the taps have been turned fully on. It's been going on since the Chinese drug wars. The 'Drug War' is only rhetoric as it's an integral part of the US economy the same as most if not all of the other, so called, wars.

War = money = profit, we are all slaves to the tax man and those that he misses pay in other ways like drugs and having our land stolen by oil companies.

Another BIG CONSPIRACY theory

Isn't it always .

[aussiejosh]

Why would you take opium to China? That doesn't seem to make sense to me, its not like europe or America where you will get a good price for it, plus isn't China full of opium anyway?

[wackysleet]

Personally I do not really care what consequences drug addicts, alcholics have to go through, at the end of the day it is self induced, so no sympathy there.

People do make mistakes in life and I believe should be helped to rectify them, if of course it's recognised as a mistake, so I would think that 3 chances to get clean in rehabilitation is fair but after that it's 3 strikes and out.

The decriminalisation of drug taking and dealing is another matter, if as suggested the distribution was run by the government and taxed, and cheaper, then perhaps we may well end up with more addicts costing a lot of money that would be better spent on more deserving causes and in the case of coke and heroin which start off as recreational drugs for the addicts personal enjoyment then we the tax payers are expected to pay, I'm all for that because when I go out to my favourite restaurant 3 times a week then using the same criteria shouldn't the tax payer pick up my bill,..............just a thought. .

[aussiejosh]

Ok, because so many of you are ignorant haters due to your own lack of experiences and understanding of something that really isn't as big and bad as it was made out to be by fear campaigns and popularisation of the war on drugs through western governments without the slightest bit of research or foresight. Here, lets look at a more progressive countries approach to decriminalization of drugs, and the results.

Here is a nice article in Time on this http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,...1893946,00.html

Please read then think, why is your country still in the dark ages? What is it afraid of really? And who in the end makes the most money out of this? Please try opening your minds thinking for yourself and not eating up every god dam_n opinion that you read and have been told.

Supporting you spr&q, unlike the flamers I agree with you. Unfortunately there are too many draconian ideals represented on this board.

[aussiejosh]

The decriminalisation of drug taking and dealing is another matter, if as suggested the distribution was run by the government and taxed, and cheaper, then perhaps we may well end up with more addicts costing a lot of money that would be better spent on more deserving causes and in the case of coke and heroin which start off as recreational drugs for the addicts personal enjoyment then we the tax payers are expected to pay, I'm all for that because when I go out to my favourite restaurant 3 times a week then using the same criteria shouldn't the tax payer pick up my bill,..............just a thought. .

Research indicates this is a popular opinion of older people, but completely unfounded and caused by a complete lack of experience. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,...1893946,00.html

http://www.idpc.net/php-bin/documents/BFDP...tion_EN.pdf.pdf

and

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/03/14/portugal/

Now why hasn't the world followed suit?

Here are a few reasons, drug enforcement agencies would no longer exist, meaning hundreds of thousands of jobs lost. The waste of the war on drugs would no longer be profiting whoever it is profiting now (not the tax payer i assure you, or joe citizen). Big tobacco companies and other interest groups which love the fact that the less hard substances are attached due to the lack of requirement of drug enforcement without them, they make money and thus lobby governments to continue making money.

In the end please just ask yourself, have I not been stupid when I was younger? Was I a saint? Could I have made bad or stupid decisions because I thought I knew better. Being 21 I know you have, because I am 21 and I know I sometimes think the dumbest ideas are the best. But unless I hurt someone, why punish someone for something we all naturally are at our younger ages? Why have this war on drugs when really, it is a war on misguided youth. Proper gated by fear from the older generations who seem to have forgotten what it is like to be young and dumb.

If it were someone in your family, and they had a problem. Would you want to see them in a Thai prison?

If you would like some sort of insight into what it is like to be in a Thai prison, this is a very good read. I didn't stop reading this guys articles until I had read them all. Very insightful.

http://www.thaiprisonlife.com/index.php?op...7&Itemid=72

And no, you wouldn't want a relative of yours in there, especially for something as stupid as making a mistake. Not like they are the crime lords or the chief traffickers usually just the mules who take the risk and minimal rewards, sometimes NONE.

Unfounded fear based on no experience makes me a sad panda, and peoples close mindedness makes me think democracy is for morons.

[aussiejosh]

BTW i am not trying to defend her, smuggling is the stupidest thing on this planet, and unless forced or something I Cant understand why anyone would take the risk. She should be happy she wasn't in China.

[Nerone]

499 grams ? sounds like a a range to me and maybe she was just under. Shame really , half a kilo of that stuff will send hundreds to their graves and many more family's destroyed. Oh well she will have time to reflect next 25 slow and miserable years

Outside of politics we need Thaksin to handle this scum. Thais cant afford the jails to take care of this vermon. Didnt he do a great job with yabba dealers!

It's people like you and Thaksin that makes great this world!!! Up Thaksin and the thai Police!

[miruph]

Every kid & liberal should watch the movie Midnight Express - maybe that will build some discipline or at least common sense. .

You're right....at least it'll teach EU citizens how to treat this breed who with some power in their hands tend to abuse it sometimes even if not in their home country and hopefully watching this stuff let liberal people think the EU is better off without them.

Aquavitian regards

m

[wackysleet]

Ok, because so many of you are ignorant haters due to your own lack of experiences and understanding of something that really isn't as big and bad as it was made out to be by fear campaigns and popularisation of the war on drugs through western governments without the slightest bit of research or foresight. Here, lets look at a more progressive countries approach to decriminalization of drugs, and the results.

Here is a nice article in Time on this http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,...1893946,00.html

Please read then think, why is your country still in the dark ages? What is it afraid of really? And who in the end makes the most money out of this? Please try opening your minds thinking for yourself and not eating up every god dam_n opinion that you read and have been told.

Supporting you spr&q, unlike the flamers I agree with you. Unfortunately there are too many draconian ideals represented on this board.

I have just read the article in question and there are a few points, the numbers of overdoses resulting in death is down, how much of that is down to the numbers on the methadone treatment rising from 6,040 to 14,877.

As for your comment about thinking for yourself and not eating up every opinion that you read and have been told, does that also include your comments and others of the same ilk, accusing others of flaming is exactly what your guilty of in your opening statement, people are entitled to their opinion as are you, but you and a few others on here appear to have set yourselves up as experts, and as for Portugal decriminalising drugs they quote that they now have more time and resources to go after big dealers,mmmmmmmmmmmm.

[wackysleet]

The decriminalisation of drug taking and dealing is another matter, if as suggested the distribution was run by the government and taxed, and cheaper, then perhaps we may well end up with more addicts costing a lot of money that would be better spent on more deserving causes and in the case of coke and heroin which start off as recreational drugs for the addicts personal enjoyment then we the tax payers are expected to pay, I'm all for that because when I go out to my favourite restaurant 3 times a week then using the same criteria shouldn't the tax payer pick up my bill,..............just a thought. .

Research indicates this is a popular opinion of older people, but completely unfounded and caused by a complete lack of experience. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,...1893946,00.html

http://www.idpc.net/php-bin/documents/BFDP...tion_EN.pdf.pdf

and

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/03/14/portugal/

Now why hasn't the world followed suit?

Here are a few reasons, drug enforcement agencies would no longer exist, meaning hundreds of thousands of jobs lost. The waste of the war on drugs would no longer be profiting whoever it is profiting now (not the tax payer i assure you, or joe citizen). Big tobacco companies and other interest groups which love the fact that the less hard substances are attached due to the lack of requirement of drug enforcement without them, they make money and thus lobby governments to continue making money.

In the end please just ask yourself, have I not been stupid when I was younger? Was I a saint? Could I have made bad or stupid decisions because I thought I knew better. Being 21 I know you have, because I am 21 and I know I sometimes think the dumbest ideas are the best. But unless I hurt someone, why punish someone for something we all naturally are at our younger ages? Why have this war on drugs when really, it is a war on misguided youth. Proper gated by fear from the older generations who seem to have forgotten what it is like to be young and dumb.

If it were someone in your family, and they had a problem. Would you want to see them in a Thai prison?

If you would like some sort of insight into what it is like to be in a Thai prison, this is a very good read. I didn't stop reading this guys articles until I had read them all. Very insightful.

http://www.thaiprisonlife.com/index.php?op...7&Itemid=72

And no, you wouldn't want a relative of yours in there, especially for something as stupid as making a mistake. Not like they are the crime lords or the chief traffickers usually just the mules who take the risk and minimal rewards, sometimes NONE.

Unfounded fear based on no experience makes me a sad panda, and peoples close mindedness makes me think democracy is for morons.

wackysleet

What I find rather amusing is when people only use part of a post and then make assumptions, wrongly I might add, if you read all of my post I said on the second paragraph that people make mistakes and I accept that, I know that I made enough mistakes in my youth.

One thing that never fails to make me smile and thats the self rightous opinion of the young that they know it all, well news for you son, you don't, and as for that rhetoric about the older generation not having the experience and knowledge that simply implies you know absolutely jack sh-t of the sixties and seventies, some of us were doing some sh-t in those days so stop trying to be so patronising.

Two points I would like to make is that a number of years ago a cousin of mine was indeed executed here in Thailand for drug possession, and another point that I asked was, if government ran the program PERHAPS we would end up with more addicts.

[luvU2much500THB]

499g of yummy brown sugga? dam_n wished i had 1g now :-(

[SiriusBlack1]

The whole "war against drugs" is utter madness. The only reason heroin exists in the first place is that it's easier to smuggle than opium, and is even more addictive -- both essential when you are running an illegal business. If drugs had never been made illegal, I doubt that people would have moved beyond smoking coca leaves and opium. We'll never know, of course.

So a vulnerable woman, who probably wasn't told she would be transporting heroin until the last minute (long story -- read "McMafia" by Misha Glenny), gets 25 years in the big house, at state expense, the big pua yai and military brass who are into the trade neck deep are untouchable as usual, and criminals and terrorists all over the world have a lucrative monopoly to sustain their operations. And for what?

Legalizing or at least decriminalizing, combined with addiction treatment and services like clean needles, would be much more effective ahd cheaper, and would make it harder for the mob and terrorists to make money from it. When's the last time a big crook was busted for rum-running, like Al Capone* was?

*actually tax evasion. Yeah, I know.

Edited June 19, 2009 by SiriusBlack1

[diehard60]

What a bunch of dim-witted censorious moralists!! You actually seem to think that the mere carrying of drugs is evil, and that taking them is terrible, and that this poor woman deserves this sentence. You obviously think that prohibition is sensible and right.

The "war on drugs" is an idiocy that has created most of the criminality in the world today and cost society untold billions and untold misery. Drugs should be decriminalised and state-controlled, with support and care for addicts. That policy would be an immense improvement on the current state of affairs worldwide (except in a few enlightened European countries), costing the whole lot of us far far less in taxes and suffering.

People who support the current drastic penalisation of drug-takers and drug-traders are simply out to lunch.

Oh I understand, now. She must have been working for you. Maybe you should be in jail instead of her? Sounds reasonable to me. Maybe you are one of them that is selling this junk all around Thailand.

[aussiejosh]

Ok, because so many of you are ignorant haters due to your own lack of experiences and understanding of something that really isn't as big and bad as it was made out to be by fear campaigns and popularisation of the war on drugs through western governments without the slightest bit of research or foresight. Here, lets look at a more progressive countries approach to decriminalization of drugs, and the results.

Here is a nice article in Time on this http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,...1893946,00.html

Please read then think, why is your country still in the dark ages? What is it afraid of really? And who in the end makes the most money out of this? Please try opening your minds thinking for yourself and not eating up every god dam_n opinion that you read and have been told.

Supporting you spr&q, unlike the flamers I agree with you. Unfortunately there are too many draconian ideals represented on this board.

I have just read the article in question and there are a few points, the numbers of overdoses resulting in death is down, how much of that is down to the numbers on the methadone treatment rising from 6,040 to 14,877.

As for your comment about thinking for yourself and not eating up every opinion that you read and have been told, does that also include your comments and others of the same ilk, accusing others of flaming is exactly what your guilty of in your opening statement, people are entitled to their opinion as are you, but you and a few others on here appear to have set yourselves up as experts, and as for Portugal decriminalising drugs they quote that they now have more time and resources to go after big dealers,mmmmmmmmmmmm.

Well really you can argue that the decriminalization caused the increase of methadone treatments, so really in the end isn't the result still the same? If they are getting them into treatment and causes less ODs then good, thats a better way of dealing with the problem.

How many billions of tax dollars are wasted in this obviously futile war on drugs? The governments can't win, the agencies know this but the funding still flows? And we wonder why there is an economic crisis? PERHAPS BAD FUC*ING POLICY

[HagenvonTronje]

or watch the movie "Dadah is Death"...

Every kid & liberal should watch the movie Midnight Express - maybe that will build some discipline or at least common sense. .

You're right....at least it'll teach EU citizens how to treat this breed who with some power in their hands tend to abuse it sometimes even if not in their home country and hopefully watching this stuff let liberal people think the EU is better off without them.

Aquavitian regards

hello.

i am obviously not so advanced educated as you film buffs are, for e.g. to learn something i mostly had read books or long talks at seminars. so i don't understand what you are up to here.

would you care to explain how to watch some fictional movies would me teach something and how i could learn specially with these movies common sense?

if you don't like drugs, just don't buy drugs. that should be a very easy task. nobody is forced to take them.

and all this harsh penalties for drug mules and users change not much. it's a pointless exercise, waste of tax money and other resources. the stuff is still available nearly everywhere, even in the different prisons around the globe.

[aussiejosh]

The whole "war against drugs" is utter madness. The only reason heroin exists in the first place is that it's easier to smuggle than opium, and is even more addictive -- both essential when you are running an illegal business. If drugs had never been made illegal, I doubt that people would have moved beyond smoking coca leaves and opium. We'll never know, of course.

So a vulnerable woman, who probably wasn't told she would be transporting heroin until the last minute (long story -- read "McMafia" by Misha Glenny), gets 25 years in the big house, at state expense, the big pua yai and military brass who are into the trade neck deep are untouchable as usual, and criminals and terrorists all over the world have a lucrative monopoly to sustain their operations. And for what?

Legalizing or at least decriminalizing, combined with addiction treatment and services like clean needles, would be much more effective ahd cheaper, and would make it harder for the mob and terrorists to make money from it. When's the last time a big crook was busted for rum-running, like Al Capone* was?

*actually tax evasion. Yeah, I know.

That was a funny ending for al capone though, just proved the police are utterly ineffective against the big guys and really only the little people pay for something that they really couldn't have done anyway without a larger group of support, but they are the cannon fodder i guess. Lets forget its the governments role to rehabilitate and help people, just lock em up and throw away the key. Good society we live in aye?

[adamskiinasia]

Thank you. I agree. Progressives will never get to see a day when money isn't spent on care of addicts rather than policing and prisons because conservatives have made drugs their bogeyman. People who oppose drugs as evil must also believe the U.S governments mantra "better dead than red". The west spent 50 years spending untold trillions on that mantra. The war on drugs? same same.

10 years in a Thai prison ? Anybody here on this site think that Thai prisons are anything like in the west think again. It is like being cast in Hades.

[webfact]

or watch the movie "Dadah is Death"...

Every kid & liberal should watch the movie Midnight Express - maybe that will build some discipline or at least common sense. .

You're right....at least it'll teach EU citizens how to treat this breed who with some power in their hands tend to abuse it sometimes even if not in their home country and hopefully watching this stuff let liberal people think the EU is better off without them.

Aquavitian regards

hello.

i am obviously not so advanced educated as you film buffs are, for e.g. to learn something i mostly had read books or long talks at seminars. so i don't understand what you are up to here.

would you care to explain how to watch some fictional movies would me teach something and how i could learn specially with these movies common sense?

if you don't like drugs, just don't buy drugs. that should be a very easy task. nobody is forced to take them.

and all this harsh penalties for drug mules and users change not much. it's a pointless exercise, waste of tax money and other resources. the stuff is still available nearly everywhere, even in the different prisons around the globe.

Both movies are based on actual events! Its NON-fiction.

Feel free to search Google

[robokop]

499 grams ? sounds like a a range to me and maybe she was just under. Shame really , half a kilo of that stuff will send hundreds to their graves and many more family's destroyed. Oh well she will have time to reflect next 25 slow and miserable years

Outside of politics we need Thaksin to handle this scum. Thais cant afford the jails to take care of this vermon. Didnt he do a great job with yabba dealers!

Why do you think he fell out of favor in the political circles?

[luvU2much500THB]

legalize it, state controlled diamorphine for hard core users, methadone programs for the more stable clients who decided to stay away from heroin and live a normal living.

[HagenvonTronje]

Both movies are based on actual events! Its NON-fiction.

Feel free to search Google

google gives me no clue what you actually want to say when you recommend those movies. so what is the point here?

mhm. it still drama and fiction.

checking with google doesn't make them to documentaries and even then i don't know how watching those movies would teach me common sense.

okay, narrative fiction , let it be books or movies or other kind of art have the potential to be educational as well. no question.

i think everybody here can imagine that jail time in thailand isn't a picknick. so we know that already.

both movies seems to dramatize with an western, ethnocentric and slightly racist viewpoint what someone awaits in a so called third world country prison if getting caught with drugs and having also some additional homoerotic components in it. this movies contain elements that makes them questionable, like the racist undertone. to assume they present the 'real reality' would be stupid.

being unable to explain with own words what you wanted to say isn't so bright either. and in addition to that, if i read comments, like the one below, a comment of someone who recommend to watch this movie to learn common sense and become mature like him, i have some serious doubts that the recommendation to watch this movie came from some smart people.

RAOTFF,LMFAO

BR>Jack

:D

Have you seen the size arse on some of these women jack, so draw your own conclusions

sometimes i think that living in a world surrounded by idiots is a much bigger force that induces people to drug misuse than some mules that brought that stuff across the borders.

[ScubaBuddha]

Every kid & liberal should watch the movie Midnight Express - maybe that will build some discipline or at least common sense.

At first I was like..what does a movie with Charles Grodin and Robert de Niro have to do with this? lol Interesting that you use this movie in your argument jackdanielsesq, as everyone claims the movie and book were inaccurate and dishonest.

From Wiki:

Midnight Express is a 1977 book by Billy Hayes and William Hoffer about Billy's experience as a young American who was sent to a Turkish prison for trying to smuggle hashish out of Turkey to the US.

The book was adapted to film in 1978. The film Midnight Express departed significantly from the book in several ways, especially in its depiction of his captivity. The movie concludes with Hayes escaping from the prison by accidentally killing a guard, which did not take place in real life. Hayes has since apologized in interview for the negative portrayal of Turkey and its people in the film, and was later invited back to Turkey to speak about his concerns in public.

In an interview in 1984, David Puttnam, producer of the film, called the book dishonest.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_Expr...te_note-fer11-0

[asiawatcher]

What a bunch of dim-witted censorious moralists!! You actually seem to think that the mere carrying of drugs is evil, and that taking them is terrible, and that this poor woman deserves this sentence. You obviously think that prohibition is sensible and right.

The "war on drugs" is an idiocy that has created most of the criminality in the world today and cost society untold billions and untold misery. Drugs should be decriminalised and state-controlled, with support and care for addicts. That policy would be an immense improvement on the current state of affairs worldwide (except in a few enlightened European countries), costing the whole lot of us far far less in taxes and suffering.

People who support the current drastic penalisation of drug-takers and drug-traders are simply out to lunch.

You've obviously never had a spouse, son or daughter die from the evil of chemicals in humans! The animals that push drugs into people who, for whatever reason, become addicted on the road to hel_l are propagated by these people - I would not waste the bowl of rice on her - the bullet yes! Next. Get a life!

[SiriusBlack1]

You've obviously never had a spouse, son or daughter die from the evil of chemicals in humans! The animals that push drugs into people who, for whatever reason, become addicted on the road to hel_l are propagated by these people - I would not waste the bowl of rice on her - the bullet yes! Next. Get a life!

If this is true of you, I am truly sorry for your loss.

My view of the ADDICT is: Okay, let's suppose you're addicted to heroin. Now what? Give yourself up to the cops? Sure, and spend up to 20 years in a PMITA prison? Not an option. Get treatment? Get it where? Heroin possession and use are felonies carrying harsh prison sentences. On the bright side, there's a convenience store down the street that hasn't installed security cameras yet.

My view of the DRUG DEALERS is: The big boys are ruthless criminals, they do nothing but cost us money and spread instability. So Asiawatcher, why do you want to make them rich? I say, pull the plug on them. Legalize it just like Bob Marley says, and cut them off from their most lucrative revenue streams. Then introduce programs for harm reduction and treatment of addicts who seek it.