Stay away: letter writing by South American inmates in Hong Kong is deterring drug trafficking, says prison chaplain
Father John Wotherspoon launched campaign to stem flow of drug mules from Latin America after he launched a similar initiative targeting smugglers from Africa
A drug mule from Colombia, who was sentenced to 16 years and eight months in jail on Friday, wrote a letter in Spanish calling for people in his country not to carry drugs to Hong Kong.
“Do not risk your lives travelling to Hong Kong, to China or any other country ... Here in Hong Kong, we have many Colombians in prison,” Cesar Sanchez said. “There are sad families because of us … Let’s clear Colombia’s reputation about drug trafficking,” it read.
Letters like this are part of a campaign launched by Father John Wotherspoon, a Hong Kong prison chaplain, whose aim is to raise awareness in South America and dissuade other drug mules thinking of coming to Hong Kong.
“They are typically men from 30 to 60 years old, whose families are desperate to get money because they have to pay school, medical fees or something similar,” Wotherspoon said. Most are not aware of the heavy sentences they could face in Hong Kong.
The chaplain is working with Spanish-speaking volunteers. “We get letters from prisoners and we post them online, on Facebook and on websites, or share them with the media in South America,” Wotherspoon said. “We have also tried to involve the families of the inmates, although there are some safety concerns in pushing for their repatriation.”