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Great, comprehensive work by Ian Yee and Shanjeev Reddy who spent nearly a year investigating the drug syndicates operating in Malaysia. Through several short meetings in the jails in Hong Kong, the journalists managed to make the mules of Malaysian origin locked up in Hong Kong to open up. The undertrials gave the journalists valuable initial tip offs. Most of them were teenagers who were used as couriers, but were arrested by police investigators abroad. The reporting included carrying out an undercover operation with the drug syndicates, and led to the arrest of some of the drug mafia men, including one of their leaders. The story has been widely republished in the region. The information collected by the journalists have been eventually passed on to the police investigators, and possibly been used to track down the organized crime around drugs in the Asia-Pacific region. It is a comprehensive work, and a compelling read. The passion of the journalists to tell the story at a feel-level makes this one of the best entries in the World category. Drug syndicates are flooding Asia with record levels of meth, with Malaysia seemingly a key distribution hub. With the help of a drug-busting priest, R. AGE journalists started investigating the cases of young Malaysian mules locked up abroad, following the trail of information all the way to the top. IN a crowded shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, year-old Shirley not her real name met with two men she had never seen before in her life. They gave her a flight ticket to Hong Kong, and RM2, in spending money. A friend she had met on Facebook, 15 years old at the time, had arranged for the trip, telling her it was a free holiday. He had gone several times before, and even brought souvenirs back for her. On the morning of her flight, one of the men showed up again and gave her and a fellow traveller a pair of shoes each. They were asked to wear them to Hong Kong. Hours later, her life as she knew it was over. After arriving at Hong Kong International Airport, she was picked out for a body search, and g of heroin were found in the soles of the shoes. For nearly two months, they had no idea what had happened to her. The last time they saw Shirley, their only child, she was begging them to let her go to Hong Kong with her friends. She was only supposed to be gone for three days. Her parents searched everywhere - the airport, the police, hospitals - and found nothing. And then came a phone call which gave them fear and relief in equal measure. It was from Hong Kong Correctional Services - their daughter was facing over 20 years in prison on drug trafficking charges. But Shirley is not alone. In the past year, nearly 30 young Malaysians - some still teenagers - have been arrested in Hong Kong for being drug mules on behalf of international syndicates; and experts say the arrest numbers are just a fraction of those that actually make it through. Some openly say the job involves drugs. After receiving a tip-off from a lawyer and a prison chaplain in Hong Kong, R. AGE journalists started investigating this increase in drug mule activity, and working with the families of the arrested mules to find out more about the syndicates. Little did they know, their investigations would eventually expose a dangerous drug trafficking network, with connections to a major drug broker in Hong Kong. Shirley, now nearly 18, told R. AGE her story from behind a glass panel at a Hong Kong prison which she has called home for around a year. She was supposed to be graduating high school this year. Her Facebook page is full of photos of her and her school friends. None of them know what happened. Only her parents and a few close relatives were clued in. Shirley now faces over 20 years in prison. Her parents are desperate to find evidence that could prove she knew nothing about the drugs. I felt bad because we never had the money to bring her for a holiday overseas, but I still said no. Her parents, too, had never been on a plane. Shirley has not heard from the year-old friend who recruited her. He was on the same trip, but on an earlier flight. Why else would they only plant g on me? That seems like a very small amount. Proving that in court, however, seemed an almost impossible task for her parents. The syndicate appeared to have burned all traces of their involvement. As we walk through Temple Street, nearly a dozen people — street vendors, homeless people, former drug addicts, current drug addicts — stop to greet him. He responds warmly in Cantonese. After nearly 35 years of working with prison inmates, the poor, and the destitute, he has earned the respect of the community. The past few years have seen him take on an altogether bigger challenge — dismantling drug trafficking syndicates in Hong Kong, all the way back to their source countries. He has followed the trail of evidence provided by imprisoned drug mules to Columbia, Brazil, Tanzania, Kenya, China, Thailand, and more, where he conducts his own undercover operations to expose the big fish to local authorities. Over Malaysian drug mules are currently in prison around the world according to police statistics, while the Foreign Affairs Ministry lists as many as 1, Malaysians incarcerated abroad on drug-related charges. Together with the journalists from R. If he can find evidence that proves the mules were tricked or coerced into carrying the drugs, or help the mules provide enough information for authorities to make an arrest of a syndicate leader, it could shave years off their sentences and, at the same time put high-level drug traffickers behind bars. It sounds harrowing even on playback, but Wotherspoon hardly flinches. In Malaysia, he pieces together bits of information given to him by the mules in prison to track down their recruiters, waiting for them at their alleged hangouts, recruiting spots, or even homes, so he can confirm their identities and get Malaysian authorities to act. If he can manage that, he just might be able to buy a few precious years of life back for the inmates. Some, like Shirley, might even walk free. But Hong Kong law allows drug mules to have sentences reduced by one third if they plead guilty early on. Another third of the sentence is suspended for good behaviour, meaning it will only be activated if the prisoner does not behave. Plead not guilty, and she could face the full years if she loses the case. Shirley is only allowed one minute phone call a month, something which her parents wait anxiously for every month. In the meantime, Wotherspoon gets to work finding that evidence. The address is incomplete. There is no block number, no unit number. All the inmate recalled was what floor the unit was on. He had spent over four hours going up eight different apartment blocks, going to the floor he was told, and asking tenants if they recognised the alleged leader through an old photo. He got nothing. He has been threatened with violence on several occasions. It helps that he has a healthy sense of humour, too. Get it? But on this particular day in Kepong, having worked an entire day only to come back empty-handed, Wotherspoon is struggling to find a silver lining. There are prisoners back in Hong Kong who need this information in court. A call comes in from the R. AGE headquarters — undercover journalists have just managed to establish contact with a few drug syndicate recruiters on social media. Posing as potential mules, the journalists now plan to meet these recruiters, and see how far up the chain they can go. Our undercover journalist has been sitting at a coffee shop for about an hour, waiting for the recruiter to show up. Things tend to fly by once the target arrives. The journalist has already spoken to the target on the phone once, after contacting him via a job recruitment post on a Facebook page. We found dozens of similar posts across Facebook. Finally, the recruiter arrives, along with a female friend. She would have to fly into Hong Kong with the drugs hidden inside the lining of a special jacket, which he claims is designed to avoid detection by customs officers. He claims to have never met his boss. All communications are done via messaging apps. From our conversations with other mules, we know they are usually instructed via text to go to a cheap hotel. Simon, another young mule currently in prison in Hong Kong, faced similar threats. He recalled the sinking feeling he had when the men showed up at the hotel. I was told I just needed to follow a bunch of people to Hong Kong, and I would get paid for it. He started saving screenshots of the WeChat messages he received from his recruiter, which he frantically forwarded to his girlfriend. But with so little time left, there was nothing she could do. Simon was on a flight to Hong Kong just a few hours later, and in custody before he even left the airport. Not long after, his girlfriend received a few threatening phone calls. The threats certainly worked. She and her children just have to find a way to move on, and hope Simon is released in years. He asked this of us several times in the 10 minutes we had together. In China, you get the death penalty. There are other jobs you can do for me. After about an hour of friendly conversation, the recruiter takes his leave. Despite showing concern, he never really closes the door on sending our undercover girl on a drug run. Taking action against drug syndicate recruiters like the one we met poses a unique legal challenge for the police. And as long as the Home Minister approves, the two-year term can be renewed, meaning suspects can essentially be detained indefinitely. According to criminal lawyer Kitson Foong, who has worked on such cases, all it takes is signed affidavits from two witnesses saying that the suspect is involved in drug trafficking. There are, of course, ethical concerns with such a law. You cut off one head, another one will come up. It is also one of the busiest drug-producing regions in the world, churning out an illegal trade worth tens of billions of dollars annually. Nevertheless, drug syndicates in the Golden Triangle have continued largely unimpeded, operating amidst the long-running conflict between ethnic militias and the Myanmar army, the Tatmadaw. A few years ago, the syndicates started swapping their opium poppy farms for sophisticated synthetic drug labs. And now, they are flooding the region - often through mules - with record amounts of dangerous meth, creating a drug crisis which authorities seem powerless to stop. In Malaysia, 4. Similarly, in Thailand, an International Crisis Group ICG report says meth seizures in the first half of reached 15 tonnes - triple the entire haul. While some might see these large seizures as wins for law enforcement, the ICG report cautions otherwise. The seizures have hardly made a dent. Higher street prices in these markets are a huge motivating factor for syndicates to send mules. Official police statistics showed only 10 such arrests in Hong Kong over the past five years. Zulkifli tasked his team to immediately look into the matter, and to meet with this drug-busting priest R. AGE had told him about. Drugs are still our number one enemy. Unfortunately, communications between law enforcement across multiple countries can be difficult. Drug syndicates are all too happy to take advantage of this lack of communication, which often means cases are not followed up on back in the country of origin. As long as there is drug production, trafficking will continue. Airports in the Middle East are also known to be handover points. Packages from South America, for example, are sometimes handed over here to mules from Malaysia, who are then told to carry them on to a second destination in Asia. When he was 23, a friend offered him a job. All he had to do was fly to the Middle East, collect a package from someone in the airport, and fly on to Hong Kong. All he had to do was follow instructions that would be sent through a chat app. And when he arrived in Hong Kong, he had that heart-stopping moment all arrested mules go through - when the customs officers stop them. They found 1. Like many of the other mules, he was a high-school dropout. The family did not have money to hire a lawyer. There was no one to investigate his case back in Malaysia, at least not without getting in trouble with the syndicate. Even though he knew exactly who recruited him and where to find him, it seemed like there was nothing he could do. Just when all hope seemed lost for Nades, just when it seemed like he would never see his mother alive again, Father John Wotherspoon came into the picture. Father John Wotherspoon has spent the past few months connecting the dots between over two dozen Malaysian drug mules. Of course, the packages are lined with drugs, something many of the mules are not aware of. Mules who have proven reliable, who have made several trips and seem wise to the true nature of the entire operation, are then trusted to become recruiters themselves — and paid handsomely for each new recruit. Many syndicates use a similar model. With mules, the syndicates can also improve their chances of success by setting up one or two mules — usually carrying smaller amounts — to get caught on each trip, distracting authorities enough for the majority to slip through. He has worked on drug mule cases as well. We have to get the people at the top, not just the drug mules. Horrified, he threw the drugs away at the airport and bought his own return ticket. Had he been caught at the delivery point in Malaysia, he would have faced the death penalty. Shanker decided to teach him a lesson for dumping the drugs, and sent a gang of thugs to beat him up. As Wotherspoon continued looking into the syndicate, he found even more shocking stories. After over two years in prison waiting for his case to be heard, Nades was about to go to trial soon. Time was ticking. Nades said he passed all the information he had to the Malaysian Consulate in Hong Kong, including the names of his recruiters, hoping for the authorities to take action. He had met Shanker at a wedding. Upon hearing that Arwind was jobless at the time, Shanker offered him a job as a courier. He would get paid to travel to South America and Hong Kong — all he had to do was deliver a package along the way. Arwind said he was rejected for the South America trip because there was some unknown issue when they tried to book his flight. Arwind claims he only ever recruited two people, and finally realised the true nature of the business when one of them was arrested in Hong Kong. Vidler adds that the growing number of middle class Malaysian tourists and business travellers helps avoid suspicion among customs officers too. This unlikely alliance of families, mostly from lower-income communities, are now ready to speak up against the syndicates who have been using Malaysian mules to help flood the region with unprecedented amounts of synthetic drugs. Aided by Wotherspoon, the families are exchanging notes and piecing together evidence against the syndicates, slowly but surely. The syndicates have always counted on being able to isolate and intimidate families into staying silent — but not this time. I called his girlfriend, but she kept ignoring my calls. Simon had sent his girlfriend a flurry of WeChat screenshots of his conversations with the recruiters, seemingly alarmed after learning that he was being used to traffic drugs for them. Using the names and pictures contained in the screenshots, Jennifer was able to identify a list of suspects. But Jennifer is not afraid. She is ready to pass on all the information to the authorities — names, phone numbers, photos, etc. My brother says some of those with him in prison are as young as 18! A lawyer offered to help with the process, and the father, a former lorry driver, used almost his entire retirement fund to pay for his services. Over a year passed, and all he got was a single written testimony, one which we were told would hardly stand in court. The father now suspects the lawyer - who has now cut off all contact with them - was working with the recruiter the entire time, leaving his family in dire financial straits. Dinesh has been in prison for over two years now, and the time apart is taking a toll on his father. I will drink poison and die. If he gets over 20 years in prison , I will leave this earth. Before his trip to Malaysia, he met with Sharon, one of the latest Malaysian mules to land in a Hong Kong prison. During his last trip in Malaysia, Wotherspoon travelled several hours to meet with Thinesh and to help him connect the dots with all the other families. He believes Shanker had paid a gang to have him killed. Now, he also has narcotics officers on his side. Narcotics officers showed up at his home, and took him in. It set off a chain reaction — police were able to round up several of his associates, and more are expected to be detained soon. I have nothing left to do but wait for good news from them. In the end, the only consolation for them is that Shirleydecided not to risk going to trial, and to plead guilty. They will be able to hold her in their arms again in years. But then last month, two Malaysian mules showed up. After over two-and-a-half years in prison, Nades he mule who was sent to the Middle East and Hong Kong read Chapter Four , finally had his day in court. Wotherspoon was scheduled to provide testimony on his behalf later in the week. Ever since they first met in prison, Wotherspoon has been trying to help Nades, convinced that he was an innocent pawn of the drug syndicates. According to Wotherspoon, the judge decided to cut the trial short, reminding the jury that there was no evidence Nades had ever touched the drugs hidden in his package of chocolates, putting it to them to make a decision. That very day, in July , the jury decided that Nades was innocent, and he was freed. Wotherspoon said he had never seen anything like it in all his years in court. Nades sspent the next few days at a temporary holding facility, and was on the next available flight back to Malaysia. Fast forward to January He was acquitted and sent back to Malaysia so suddenly that they never had a chance to say goodbye. We drove Wotherspoon to the small town about an hour from Kuala Lumpur where Nades is trying to rebuild his life. We meet at a small, dusty road-side restaurant. It is the first time Wotherspoon has seen Nades as a free man. They immediately embrace each other. As we sit down for a meal, Wotherspoon brings out his file on Nades, which he can now put back on the shelf at his tiny apartment in Temple Street. Nades has found a job working at a factory. I said I wanted to speak to his brother, the leader of the gang. He said he would arrange it. In fact, he is ready to testify against them if it could help his cellmate in Hong Kong — Dinesh, whose father is still waiting anxiously for his case to be heard. Before we leave, Wotherspoon gives Nades an envelope of money, to help him get back on his feet. He is reluctant to accept. Nades takes the money, they embrace again, and we drove Wotherspoon back to his hotel in Kuala Lumpur. But for now, Wotherspoon is basking in a rare moment of joy amidst all the destruction wrecked by the drug syndicates. Winners Shortlist About Apply Jury. True Story Award Vinod K. The Malaysian Drug Trade Drug syndicates are flooding Asia with record levels of meth, with Malaysia seemingly a key distribution hub. But it all started with a series of prison visits. Thankfully, help was about to arrive from an unlikely source. And now, he has set his sights on Malaysia. Yet, he persists. Within two minutes, he tells our journalist what the job is really about. I was afraid. The men were really menacing. For others, just the thought of taking on these syndicates is scary. Back at the coffee shop, our journalist asks the recruiter how risky the job really is. Again, the recruiter is honest. And then came a game-changer - methamphetamines, aka meth. But the amount flowing from Malaysia to Hong Kong now is particularly worrying. The main problem, however, lies at the source. Hong Kong, similarly, is a convenient transit point for much of East Asia. So why did Nades do it? Now, he feels lucky to be alive, and wants to put the whole episode behind him. Do the other mules know they are carrying drugs? They just know that there are documents in the bag. He can go to any extreme level. The family of another mule, Dinesh, is also pushing back. The recruiter appeared to be backed by a local gang. I could be dead by then. At the very least, there was one happy ending. He was finally able to see his mother again. Three months later, she finally succumbed to her illness, and passed away. Did he try to call the friend who recruited him? Just wonderful. Contact Privacy Policy Newsletter.

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