Caught in the snare

I’m a 31-year-old man from Uganda. I had difficulties getting a job after obtaining my bachelor’s degree in business administration. I finally got a job as a salesman through my father, a branch manager at a store that sold tires. I held this job for more than five years.

It was during that time that I started my own family and all was well until I got a call from my aunt one evening telling me my mom had been admitted to hospital after collapsing during a community-saving meeting. She was diagnosed with carcinoma, and the only fair news was that it was still at an early stage and could be stopped from spreading to other parts of her body. The doctor informed us that my mother was experiencing heart failure. That’s why she had collapsed. I knew that very day that this was a turning point in all of our lives.

Days went by, the good ones when she looked stronger and showed improvement and the bad ones when she was too weak to do anything. She was always in and out of the hospital. The doctor said that we needed to prepare her for an operation promptly. “The sooner the better.” By then my father was no longer working. He had opened up a retail shop.

I channeled the pressure I felt into work, burying myself in it to avoid thinking. At that time I was an assistant sales manager. I got my work done on time, and as it became more manageable, a thought occurred to me that I could take on another job, some part-time work, as long as I had completed my primary responsibilities. I talked about it with my immediate boss, who was okay with it. He knew my situation – we had become friends, and he understood the financial pressure. So I got in touch with a friend who did plumbing work. He was very understanding and allowed me to choose which jobs I would take, and I only considered ones close by, except when they involved working weekends.

My part-time earnings helped a lot, and for a while, it was enough to settle all the medical bills, my sister’s school fees, and money for home use. I was able to reduce the pressure on my father. I thought I had it under control until there was a management reshuffle and a new manager came to my branch. The new manager believed the only way to beat incompetence was through replacing the old employees with his own and one small error could get you get fired. When he made that clear, I stopped my part-time work, hoping he would cool down but he got to me one day. I needed to run a quick errand to the pharmacy. I asked permission from my immediate boss and he allowed me to go, but as soon as I came back, I was already considered an incompetent employee. My immediate boss didn’t get a chance to explain this to the manager and I was fired.

Eventually, I mustered one question, what was the job about? he answered with a single word: “Traveling” while he gestured with his hand over his head and immediately I understood traveling by airplane.

I couldn’t afford to stop working, so I picked up my part-time job again. No one at home noticed a thing because nothing changed in my way of living. I dressed the same way I used to and only changed clothes when I reached the work sites. I continued looking for another job and told almost every friend of mine about it. That’s how a plumbing ex-colleague – someone with whom I had lost contact for a while – called me to meet. He went by the name of Aziz and told me he had not been in the country for a while and that all was well with him.

He told me he no longer needed to do plumbing work and that if I wanted he could connect me and I could make lots of money too. All the while as he talked, I had questions, lots of them, but all at once they disappeared because here in front of me was someone who seized an opportunity as soon as he had it and was also willing to share it with me. Eventually, I mustered one question, what was the job about? he answered with a single word: “Traveling” while he gestured with his hand over his head and immediately I understood traveling by airplane. He said if I didn’t have a passport, they could arrange it for me. That’s when I was hooked. I thought to play cool and I answered him I already had one, so he replied that it would be even easier and faster, I could start in a matter of days!

He gave me his boss Mike’s contact and told me to call him if I was interested, making sure to mention it was Aziz who sent me. He gave me USH 100,000 (approximately US$25) and left.

I couldn’t believe my luck and thanked God for this opportunity. I needed money and there I was soon to be solving my problems. I couldn’t wait to call Mike. The sooner the better before someone grabbed this chance from me.

The following morning I called Mike, and he was expecting my call however he wasn’t free to talk at that moment and told me he would return my call later. Two days passed before Mike called he asked to meet at a hotel around lunch hour. By mid-day, I arrived at the hotel, and I was escorted by a hotel staff to the dining room. Then a man with a Nigerian accent (which I hadn’t noticed on the phone before) introduced himself as Mike.

The guy never stopped having phone calls every few minutes and it didn’t seem like it was our meeting. As I enjoyed my meal he acted busy until he came to sit and told me he only had a few minutes with me. He needed to be somewhere else and asked me “What do you want to know?” I told him I wanted to know about the work. He said I would be delivering different stuff to their destinations and I would be earning US$5,000-10,000 per trip. This sounded like a “corporate job” and I couldn’t wait to start but he told me I had a test to pass. “Of course, it’s not going to be that easy to earn that kind of money in just one meeting.” I was prepared for any interview or exam. I  was already looking at a better future. I was no longer hungry.

As I was doing mental maths, Mike asked for the check and gave me about US$100 to settle the bill. The meeting concluded and he promised to call when the test was ready.

Swallowing them was easy but getting them out was painful. Even after they were all out I felt pain just sitting down.

The test

Within a few days, he called and told me to meet. He asked me if I had eaten. When I told him I had he made a funny remark “Hope you are not so full to fail the text.” We laughed as he knocked on the motel door. A man – who introduced himself as Gideon answered the door. We sat on plastic chairs while Mike and Aziz brought a bowl full of jackfruit. As soon as they put it on the table, Mike removed the seeds and started swallowing around four pieces in one go. Gideon did the same and he continued while Mike turned to me and said “If you can do that then you are in the business.” I was quiet for a while, thinking if it would hurt but I had just witnessed two people doing it without struggling. They gave me a glass of water in case I needed it. The first one was difficult, but the rest seemed okay, and after eight pieces, they brought a second bowl.

This bowl contained a big capsule in the shape of a jackfruit masked by sellotape. Mike proceeded to swallow two of those and Gideon, who found it entertaining swallowed more than I could count. I did around five pieces. He then told me I would be transporting ivory. He told me the samples were the right sizes. That’s why I had to try it. They asked me if I was okay. Yes, I felt a bit uncomfortable but I wasn’t going to admit it. Surely I was scared of the things inside me yet so the two men in front of me seemed to find it normal. I kept on comforting myself “If they aren’t worried about the things in their stomach, neither should I.”

When I told Mike I was okay, he said I was in business. He told me I was to stay with Gideon for a few days until the seeds and pellets were out of my body. Mike gave me US$200 and told me “I guess you don’t live alone. You have a family to look after so you should send them some money for use because it may be two to three days here.” That’s exactly how long it took me to discharge them all, but those three days were enough for me to decide that I couldn’t do this. Swallowing them was easy but getting them out was painful. Even after they were all out I felt pain just sitting down. I told myself never to pick up these guys’ calls. The lesson had been learned. My courage was gone and I just wanted to go home.

On the third day, I pretended everything was okay. They told me they were arranging my travel documents. I didn’t show them that I was no longer interested in the job until I was on my way home. I switched off the phone and changed my phone number. Everything was okay for about one week. I carried on with my plumbing work and stayed low-key. I told my friend that if Aziz asked for me, to tell him he hadn’t seen me. I told him what had happened, but it all sounded like a movie to him. Just then, the nightmare began. My phone rang and I picked up, having not recognized Aziz’s number. I was surprised to hear his voice, he said: “Let’s meet.” I told him I was busy but he said this was more important than anything I was doing. When I asked him what it was about, he only replied “Your mother.” He had my attention and before I could say anything he told me we must meet that evening. Then the line went dead. I reached the meeting place late but he was patient enough and so did the people he was with.

TRAPPED

Aziz looked sad and never looked at me throughout that evening meeting. I was so worried to have accused him of getting me into this trap. Here I was in front of Mike, Gideon, and another man who opened the car for me to enter. We all entered the car except Aziz. Gideon and the new guy looked angry. Mike, even if he was, never showed me that he was furious. My mind was still with my mother. What had happened to her?

I had called home earlier, and my aunt mentioned my mother was resting. I was pondering their words when the realization hit me like a tidal wave. Mike gave me an expired flight ticket dated a week ago in my name. His words still echoed in my ears: “I thought you had potential, but you don’t. I’m taking a loss here – not much, but it’s still money. For old times’ sake, I still believe in you, so the business deal remains, but with some adjustments since you’ve been unreliable.”

“If you don’t comply within a week or try anything foolish, I’ll pay your mother a visit,” he warned. “Your father can wait – he’s a busy man – but after your mother, I’ll visit your sister. As for your daughter and wife… well, we have enough people for that too.”

He laid out his terms clearly: I had one week to provide money for travel documents. He wouldn’t fund this trip but would pay upon completion. “At least this way,” he said, “you’ll be more committed with your own money at stake.” Then came the threats. While showing me his phone, I saw photos of my mother in the hospital from a few weeks ago. “If you don’t comply within a week or try anything foolish, I’ll pay your mother a visit,” he warned. “Your father can wait – he’s a busy man – but after your mother, I’ll visit your sister. As for your daughter and wife… well, we have enough people for that too.”

He made me scroll through more photos – my aunt in the hospital cafeteria, and my sister outside our home. They had been watching all of them. While I had been chasing wealth, they had meticulously tracked my family. Now I was paying the price for my naivety. With no way to raise the initial funds but unable to ignore such serious threats, I found myself trapped. Their extensive surveillance proved these weren’t empty threats – they meant business.

I only had one shot, go to the money lenders. I used 1.5 hectares of land as collateral. I expected to obtain UAH12 million (approximately US$3200) but money lenders are never fair. They know you would never go to them if you weren’t desperate. So I had to settle for a million instead and this money was making a million in interest every month. If I couldn’t pay then, they were going to take the land. That was the agreement.

It took me three days to settle this deal and I called Mike to tell him I had the money. Within five days he had arranged for my flight with a hotel booking and asked me for 3 million Ugandan shillings. He seemed surprised to know that I had it. The land was worth 20 million and in normal circumstances, it would have earned me 20-25 million. But the desperate situation got to me.

Final destination

I remember the last time I saw Mike was when he was giving me my ticket, and hotel booking with directions. It was scheduled for 10 March 2023 and my final destination was Hong Kong. On the 9th, I swallowed the pellets and by 2 a.m. that night, I had finalized what I did under Gideon’s supervision and some other man who never said a word to me. I woke up at around 9 a.m. and prepared for the journey. During that time Gideon came and took my photo and when he came back it was time to go. He asked me if I had the money. I would use it once I had reached Hong Kong.

I had reached this far cause I wanted to get over it. I only thought to return to normal life. Gideon told me that they would be waiting for me at the arrival and follow me to the hotel. It sounded easy. It was a two-way ticket and I could stay for a week and then back home. I had left the rest of the money at home and gave it to my wife. I reached Hong Kong Airport on the 11th of March, and during the interview with the immigration officer, I tried to convince them, but after all, I didn’t convince myself well and they didn’t buy it. They rejected my entry and I was to wait for repatriation after security and medical check and to this day, those were the last hours of my freedom. I was arrested and charged with trafficking dangerous substances. I’m still on remand awaiting my sentencing. It has already been two years in prison and there’s still a way to go.