Importation of heroin: a sixty-year-old “mule” guilty all along the line

A sixty-year-old “mule” who invented a fabricated story after being caught at the airport with nearly $2 million worth of heroin in her luggage did not convince the jury, who found her guilty in just a few hours.

• Read also: Almost 5 kg of heroin in his luggage: an alleged “mule” intercepted at the airport

“Guilty,” the president of the jury repeated twice at the Montreal courthouse.

This means that the jurors did not believe the explanations of Jenny Siaw Ying Wong, who was thus found guilty of importing drugs and possession with a view to trafficking following a trip in South Africa in May 2022.

At the time, the 61-year-old had taken a short trip to South Africa, supposedly to scout for group trips she was planning to organize.

“I no longer had a job, I had the idea to realize my dream of helping people of Chinese origin who want to travel to Africa,” said the British Columbia resident, who worked in the world of tourism 20 years ago.

Nearly 5 kilos of heroin

However, upon his arrival at Montreal-Trudeau airport, a search of his luggage revealed nearly 5 kg of “48% to 51%” pure heroin. Sold on the street in doses of 0.05 g, the drug had a value of nearly $2 million.

Arrested and accused of being a “mule” – that is to say a person who agrees to transport drugs without necessarily having links with the traffickers – Wong tried to escape by pleading ignorance.

“When the customs officers told me that they had found something, I was stunned, amazed, astonished. I froze at that moment,” she told the jury.

Not convincing at all

According to her account, which was not accepted by the jury, the woman arrived in Johannesburg when she realized that one of her suitcases was broken, and employees replaced it. And as luck would have it, it was in this suitcase that the drugs were found.

However, the fact that she had visited the city very little and that she was unable to name a single tourist attraction in the place certainly made the jurors doubt her version.

“There was a safari, I wrote down some names, but it’s been a very long time and, because of my advanced age… that’s it,” she said.

The Federal Crown then noted that it was unusual for a travel guide not to know where to buy a suitcase abroad; Wong cited the language barrier… only to be reminded that one of the official languages ​​in this country is English, just like in British Columbia, where she has lived for years.

The mule, who was free on bail during the proceedings, was incarcerated following the guilty verdicts rendered at the end of last week. She will return to court on Thursday to set the terms of the pleadings on the sentence to be imposed on her.

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