I have this habit of reading the full, detailed synopsis of movies I am not brave enough to watch. I can tell you the sequence of events in Requiem for a Dream, Blue Velvet, and The Human Centipede. I can recite the most intimate, raw scenes of rape and violence without ever having to bare witness to them myself; thus I am still safe behind this barrier of being an observer twice removed. I feel oddly drawn to these films, the ones that shed light on the uncomfortable grittiness, slums and fucked up people that share this earth with us all.
One movie that’s been on my mind for a few years is Maria Full of Grace. It is a film about a 17-year-old pregnant woman who becomes a drug mule, transporting 62 pellets of heroin in her gastrointestinal tract. That sentence alone imprinted my then-13-year-old brain when the movie first came out in 2004. I read everything I could about the movie but still refused to watch it. It’s fear that holds me back – the fear to address the very real, growing and merging industries of human and drug trafficking.
Body packers, or mules, are the terms used to describe people who swallow or insert packages of illegal drugs into their bodies. The most common packaging material is made of latex, aluminum foil or condoms. The first fatal instance of a body packer was documented in 1977. In 1981 the term, “Body packing syndrome” was used to describe 10 victims who died after swallowing packets of cocaine to avoid detection from US Customs officers. An examination of fatalities among body packers in New York between 1990 and 2001 identified 50 such deaths. The majority of these deaths were the result of acute intoxication due to the leaking or opening of drug packets internally.
Body packing is a method used to smuggle moderate amounts of high-profit drugs such as cocaine and heroin. This method may be utilized more frequently as a result of the increased security and checking of luggage instituted following the events of 9/11. In addition, individuals in poverty stricken countries like Columbia and Jamaica see body packing as a means to better themselves through this kind of illegal financial endeavors. The Jamaican government claims that one in 10 passengers from Jamaica is a "body packer," but the rate could be as high as 20 passengers per flight.
To postpone natural evacuation, especially for long flights, the body packers take high dosages of anticholinergic drugs. They also refuse to eat or drink during the flight. The role of radiographic examination in detecting the smuggled contraband within a body packer is unclear. Several studies have showed how unreliable contrast X-rays and ultrasound can be. The majority of drugs originating from South America are brought into the US via Florida because of the short flight time and usual lower airfare. The risk of a package rupture is dramatically increased with prolonged time in the air.
I hope ACT can begin to expand the focus of human trafficking to also include the realm of drug trafficking. Though fictional, the character of Maria in the title film represents the face of a burgeoning market with an eager population to serve- including young mothers. It’s a life-threatening risk that some take in order to make a living for themselves… pretty backwards when you think about it.
- B.P.
The information on this post came from the following:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6W9K-4C4FFFT-4H&_user=142623&_coverDate=01%2F31%2F1986&_fmt=abstract&_orig=search&_origin=search&_cdi=6685&view=c&_acct=C000000333&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=142623&md5=f6dc6273612fd9bfb7670e7d641f7579&ref=full
