Dear Editor,
A Guyanese woman was recently held at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Bangladesh for possession of 8.66 kg of cocaine. In Bangladesh, the prescribed punishment for smuggling narcotics over 5 grams is the death penalty. The amount she possessed exceeds 1000 times the amount that attracts that penalty in Bangladesh.
Dealing in narcotics destroys individuals, families and communities but the death penalty should be avoided as often as possible. Her involvement in this trade is unacceptable and especially egregious as it was conducted in a foreign country. Is there going to be a diplomatic effort for leniency from our government? After all, she is a daughter of our soil.