Drug Mules: Syndicates Now Target Professionals

International drug syndicates are increasingly recruiting professionals as drug mules, a strategic shift that exploits their high credibility and lower suspicion from authorities. This new modus operandi, described as the 'professionalization of drug mules,' moves beyond targeting financially desperate individuals to include pilots, doctors, businesspeople, and other professionals.

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Syndicates are not looking for the unemployed anymore. They are looking for pilots, doctors, teachers. Because when they are caught, people won't suspect them.

Dr. Zalmizy Hussin, a Criminology expert at Universiti Utara Malaysia, explained that syndicates now seek individuals whom others trust, making them safer choices. "Syndicates are not looking for the unemployed anymore. They are looking for pilots, doctors, teachers. Because when they are caught, people won't suspect them," he told Utusan Malaysia.

This evolving tactic is highlighted by the recent case of a Malaysian pilot who tested positive for methamphetamine, MDMA, and cocaine after flying a Malaysia Airlines flight to Indonesia. He faces the death penalty for allegedly smuggling over 70,000 ecstasy pills.

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Syndicates offer large payments between RM50,000 and RM150,000 for a single trip. For those with debts, struggling businesses, or wanting to maintain a certain lifestyle, these offers seem like a way out.

Hussin identified three key factors enabling this recruitment. Firstly, lucrative financial offers ranging from RM50,000 to RM150,000 per trip tempt those facing financial pressure or seeking a certain lifestyle. Syndicates often disguise their operations by offering tasks like delivering documents or legitimate goods.

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This perception is what syndicates manipulate. They convince victims that individuals like them will not be suspected by the authorities.

Secondly, professionals benefit from a perception of 'invincibility' due to their good reputations and clean records, which can shield them from scrutiny. Syndicates exploit this by assuring recruits that authorities are unlikely to suspect them. Finally, syndicates employ psychological tactics, building long-term relationships and offering investment or overseas job opportunities to foster trust over several months before asking for help transporting illicit items. Many victims feel too embarrassed to back out or report the situation at this stage.

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They are no longer using threats. Instead, they become friends, offer investment or job opportunities abroad, and build trust over several months.