DEATH OR PRISON:
THE FATE OF DRUG COURRIERS

In October 2019, red-handed at Guararapes International Airport, in the state of Pernambuco , northeastern Brazil, with almost a kilo of cocaine in his stomach, divided into 69 capsules. He was going to embark for Paris, but he felt sick and was discovered by the police.

In the following month, two other Venezuelans, aged 53 and 37, were also captured with cocaine capsules in their stomachs. They They were trying to board at the Pinto Martins International Airport , in the state of Ceará, also in the northeast of the country, bound for Paris. One carried 70 capsules in the stomach; the other, 80.

In addition to the risk of being arrested, Venezuelans recruited to be mules put their own lives at risk.

In December 2019, a Venezuelan woman in her 40s died after being left by a taxi driver at the door of a hospital in Amazonas , a state neighboring Roraima. Inside her stomach were found 60 capsules of cocaine that, according to doctors, caused the perforation of the organs and led to a picture of septicemia (generalized infection). Doctors believe that the drug had been in her stomach for more than three days.

In February 2020, a 26-year-old Venezuelan had the same tragic fate. He had tried to board at the Boa Vista international airport with 50 capsules in his stomach but was discovered and extradited to Venezuela. He was taken by the Bolivarian National Guard to the Rosario Vera Zurita Hospital, in the Gran Sabana municipality, and upon arrival, one of the drug capsules broke and he died.

Although Joe did not suffer the terrible fate of some of his fellow countrymen, he also failed in his attempt to use his body to transport drugs to Europe. He did not die but was arrested by the French authorities and spent a month in prison, practically isolated.

After his release from prison, Joe was wandering the streets of Paris, and, at the time of publication of this report, remained in France. He had tried to return to Venezuela on several occasions without success.

Joe is the other Venezuelan detained in Paris at the beginning of 2020, and together with Marvin he collaborated with his story for the preparation of this investigation.

This video shows his story.