This show follows the story of two American girls, Krista Barnes and Jennifer Davis who were, more or less tricked into being drug mules for Peruvian drug traffickers. Airing on National Geographic for the first time yesterday July 27 and again today at 3PM PST, this show was on National Geographic’s HD and non-HD channel. Hopefully it will air again for those who missed it; I think that it covers something very relevant, and it’s a good, clear warning to young women who might accidentally get caught in a lifestyle similar to these two.
The show is narrated by Krista, Jennifer, and through interviews. Their attorney who helped them plead guilty in Lima, Peru was also part of this show; Krista and Jennifer had no idea how common drug muling was. It’s now even worse; there are currently seven American citizens imprisoned in Peru, one female. In 2007, Peruvian authorities catch an average of two drug mules a day.
The girls at 19 years old lived what they called “the high life, the fast life” in the LA area and Hollywood. It appears that they had many different jobs, one of them involved club promotion. Between hanging out at the hottest parties and handing out flyers and invitations for the clubs, they were known as “the girls,” and they partied literally until daylight many days a week. Out of nowhere Krista got a call from an old family friend named Jose, only described as a full-time student and surfer. Krista states that it was strange that he called out of the blue, and all of a sudden he was in their lives; possibly the other way around as the girls ended up moving into his place, sharing his extra bedroom which opened up onto the beach, riding around with him in his hot car.
He had two friends that were around almost all of the time. They were Peruvian as well, and they were at Jose’s place basically every night. The story goes that, basically one day when Jose wasn’t around the two Peruvian guys asked Krista and Jennifer if they wanted to have an all-expense-paid luxury vacation “in paradise,” where the water is blue, the air is pure, the skies are clear and it’s warm all of the time. Being young and wanting to travel, they agreed… they even agreed to go with the catch being that they’d bring back “a little bit of something extra.”
A little bit of cocaine. As they tell the tale, at the airport going to Peru, they met “an American” (they think) who asked them what they were doing going to Peru. When they said that they were going to vacation there, he asked if they were going over to smuggle drugs; this encounter sticks in their minds because, as they recall, they honestly thought that they were the first people to ever do this. On top of the all-expense paid trip, they were going to get $5,000 when they get back. They were already making plans for the $10,000 they’d get once back home.
Once in Peru, they were greeted by two men who treated them like crap from the beginning. They put their bags in the car and zipped away, once some distance from the airport, they asked for the women’s passports. They made it clear that they had at least one gun by leaving it in plain view.
The girls were left in a crummy hotel about 40 miles outside Lima, with an emptied out pool and crappy conditions. Their bags were taken, as the drug smugglers needed to modify and insert the cocaine. The girls recall being bored, doing whatever to pass the time, walking around the hotel and watching Spanish television shows. They were told not to leave the hotel, but they were sent on a tour of Lima after two days.
The next major event is that they got their bags back, and the two men instructed them to remain cool and explain that they were at Matupichu and Cuzco… and while watching the show, I was thinking, “why didn’t they actually take the girls to Matupichu and Cuzco so that they wouldn’t have to fake anything and they could have pictures for evidence?” (It makes even less sense that they didn’t do this after hearing how much pure coke they were muling.) They got their bags back, and in the morning, they were picked up by someone else and taken to the airport in Lima. Even though they were given anti-anxiety pills, it’s clear from the description that they were acting nervous and suspicious from the start. They denied help from the porter, and headed up to the ticket counter. They noticed police and drug dogs all around, and an agent at the ticket counter who questioned them. They explained that they were there for nine days and visited Matupichu and Cuzco (two tourist spots because of ancient ruins in both locations… I guess), but the agent doesn’t buy it. They’re screwed.
They’re taken to a back room and drug dogs sniff out their bags. Although the dogs can’t smell it, the officers aren’t yet done. One inspector pokes the bag with a rod, out comes cocaine. They spend almost an hour ripping the bags apart, and eventually pull out a false bottom box. 8.7 kilos (I think) were packed in the bags. About twenty pounds… that’s a lot more than “just a little something,” and I think that for that amount (about $1,000,000 worth, US street value) the girls should have actually been taken to Matupichu and Cuzco! At least they’d have had some fun before going to prison.
He makes them watch their plane take off for America. I’m sure it’s a tactic to get them to break down. They were taken to the jail of the local police station, still in disbelief, still in shock. They cried themselves to sleep, spending more than fifteen days in that cell. They had meetings with a representative from the US embassy and their attorney, who helped them plead guilty… however, they were incarcerated for 18 months before formal sentencing. On March 11, 1998 “the girls” were charged.
With their testimony, the two men they had contact with were arrested, but the total size of the drug ring is not known. They were given six years, one more than the required five. In some way, it might have been a blessing in disguise that they were arrested in Lima instead of in America; although the conditions were bad and the food was gross (had bugs in it, a rat tail once), they would have received a mandatory ten years if caught in the US, might not have stayed together, and would have been put into a dangerous American prison. From all accounts, although conditions weren’t great, the prison that they were in operated more like a small city and they were able to make friends at the facility. The other women there took care of them and their attorney was able to bring them food and comfort, giving them the hugs and nurturing that helped them to survive their situation.
They were released early for good behavior, spending a total of about three years in prison. When they got out, they went different ways, Krista went back to California and Jennifer went east to be with her family. The story concludes with Krista going back after about 8 years (or something) to the women’s facility in Lima, to see Americans (if there are any there) and to see people that were there when Krista and Jennifer served their sentences.
Jose was never charged in connection to their crime, however during the time of filming, he was in prison in the US on other drug related offenses. Krista graduated from college and with her degree she is going to help people Africa. The documentary does not cover what Jennifer is currently up to, but they do show the real girls together, and they surprisingly captured an amazing amount of Krista’s emotion during the visit of the prison. She saw one woman who’s been incarcerated for more than ten years, and the woman gave Krista a big hug… it seemed clear that the girls made friends who had the heart to help them through their tough stay.
One thing about the National Geographic style is that they use actors to reenact the events of their story. I was wondering the whole time how accurate the portrayals were, if they went to the actual hotel or if they were even in Peru for the bulk of it. The actors didn’t really look the same, but it helped to flesh out what really happened. I think I saw the actor who portrayed Krista in something else.
The reason I wanted to write about this event and post it is because drug muling is incredibly common and not a good thing to do. I hope people can learn from their story, I wish more people had access to see it. I don’t think that the larger part of America took notice when this event took place, and after doing some research it was clear that their representatives in America felt that the government wasn’t offering any support and practically abandoned them in Peru. It’s not easy to find a lot of supplemental information regarding their story, and what I have found has been repetitive and a little bit vague.
Don’t smuggle drugs!
(I was almost going to write about this yesterday, but I was feeling too ill.)
I saw the show. These girls were extremely lucky to have served such a relatively short sentence. I’m sure that family resources gave them better access to the dysfunctional judicial system in Peru. Most people in that situation would still be in jail today. In several other countries, even a fraction of the drugs seized would have resulted in the death sentence. To say that they were “tricked” is nonsense. They admitted that they knew beforehand that they were going to smuggle cocaine. I have no doubt that had they smuggled the cocaine successfully, they would have done it again. Stupid and naive is the only mitigating factor that you could give these two.
They agreed to take cocaine for an all-expense-paid luxury vacation in paradise… and Jennifer clearly stated that at the end of it that “they were ready to go home.” She said that they wanted to take the bags, get on the plane, and get home. I don’t think they would have done it again; they were treated like crap and were in over their heads. That’s why I take the position that they were “tricked;” yes, they knew that they were going to bring back cocaine (I wrote that part, too), but at 19 it’s very likely that they were naive enough to think that they were taking back only a tiny bit of coke and that they’d have the time of their lives. That was clearly not the case.
You maybe right. However, all we really have to go on are two things: 1. The indisputable facts, and 2. A story told by the girls (who by human nature, will make sure that the public and their families will get a version that makes them look as innocent as you can get given the circumstances).
I won’t know for sure, and neither will you. Oh, and do you think that the sympathy factor would have worked this well had they been black, or a couple of guys?
I was amazed that when they had contact with the English-speaking tour guide on the tour bus, that they didn’t reach out for help right away. I was amazed that they didn’t tell the woman that they’d been kidnapped, basically, and that they’re passports had been stolen, that they must be taken to the American Embassy immediately. I don’t understand that they didn’t try to reach out for help or to escape then. That was a perfect opportunity. Naive is totally right. It’s so important that parents don’t overprotect their daughters to the point where they are this naive. So many of us are incredibly naive at that age. I would never had fallen for carrying drugs for someone, but at 19 I was really naive about people’s intentions. Parents should inform kids of basic things in life - e.g. that major cities world-wide have embassies. That’s basic knowledge. That you never take off to a country where you don’t speak the langugae without having read up on the place a bit, or without having a few things in your pocket, like embassy contact info.
I also don’t understand - once dropped off at the ariport to return home, and after the guys took off- why did they followe through with dragging their bags along and attempting to check in. Even then, couldn’t they have done something other than dragging the bags to check in? What would have happene if they immeidately ran to the police then rather than trying to check in ? I lighter sentence? I would have been memorizing the license plate number of that car while getting their bags out, and then immediately gone to the police. Or run to a phone and called the embassy. Or dropped the bags and checked in without them. Anything BUT trying to check in. At that point, they could have used more free will,and created hopefully a better outcome. I just don’t understand them not taking initiative - out of terror and desperation.
I would argue that most of the “fact” presented in the NGC special comes from commentary, the story having been driven by narration. My entry is a written presentation of the show, supplemented with the measly scraps of information I pieced together from the net.
The statement that, “by human nature,” they’d tell their story in a way that makes them look as innocent as possible—while possible, I don’t believe is human nature. Your statement is merely assumption; although my information may be incorrect or untruthful, it’s based on information validated by NG, and is as accurate as I can make it at this time. They may be telling an unedited truth, and I’d prefer to err on the side of caution by not being presumptuous, than to make the accusation that they’ve lied or omitted something with “human nature” as my sole evidence.
I don’t know much more than what I’ve written, but I may get closer to the truth with time as I reexamine this story with new evidence and accounts. I have no idea whether or not Peruvian government has more or less sympathy for white American women, so I cannot answer your last question.
Nineteen year old individuals, men or women and of any race, are not particularly known for doing incredibly intelligent things and making good decisions. Although it might seem that they’d lie for sympathy, Peru isn’t known for it’s world-class luxury resorts. Most tourists go to see ancient ruins and rainforest, and that’s why they were told to tell authorities that they visited Machupichu and Cusco.
Did you all see the level of effort by Professor Ruebner? His pro-bono work really helped get them out earlier. A lot of U.S. support got drummed up. You have to wonder if they’d been a couple of guys, or if they were not white - if the same amount of support would have generated here at the states. Hard to say. What do you think?
Elaine—As to why they didn’t tell the English speaking tour guide, I believe that they were still trying to salvage a “vacation” and the reality and severity of the drug muling they were about to do hadn’t sunken in. I attribute that to age and their lifestyle; they weren’t living a sheltered existence, late nights and partying (maybe some drug use, but that’s an assumption, as is that “partying” equates to “drinking”), fast-paced nightclub and Hollywood hot-list life.
It’s because of naiveness and innocence that they weren’t aware of how industrial and non-luxurious most of Peru is, and how common drug muling was/is and how much cocaine they were going to be forced to bring back.
It’s the thrill-seeking, party-hungry nature that lead them to ultimately agree to go; that’s likely why they were more interested in dancing than the embassy, that’s also why their illicit greed wasn’t obvious to them, and they had just started to live the high-life in a beachfront property. Like many 19 year olds, there was probably a sense of invincibility; in fact, they even mentioned at the sight of the Peruvian police prison-cell, that “this wasn’t really happening to them,” and that they were going to go home.
In that mindset, getting caught with it would not have crossed their minds—they likely wanted to just get home, take their $10,000 and leave this “nightmare” in the past. I believe that they had no idea how deep the rabbit hole was, how far down they’d go, and that’s ultimately why they unravelled the way that they did.
I’m convinced that they thought they’d bring back the equivalent of $50K of cocaine, way under a pound… literally, some tiny, untraceable amount that’d fit in their bags without anyone noticing.
I see. And that would explain why they didn’t try to escape when they were dropped off at the airport and they car spun off. In that brief instant, they still could have made a different choice other than to carry the bags to check-out. Couldn’t they? I don’t know what exactly, but something other than compliance. If they had turned themselves in then, rhater than checking in, do you think they would have gotten a better sentence?
And you’re right - they were in denial even down to seeing the jail.
It still thoroughly boggles my mind that when the guys took away their passports - that they didn’t get it ! But, I’m glad this kind of documentary aired to bring more awareness about this issue.
This kind of thing happened in my family - not related to drugs though. One of my female cousins at 19 (same age, big shock!) dated what she told everyone was this great “African prince” who wound up being a petty thief. The guy and his friends stragically and routinely preyed on innocent, hyper-naive young women. And they’d steal from them. In this case, there was something inherently anti-American about it. They didn’t view Americans as being human,and they viewed the U.S. as a field day - a place ripe with opportunities to cash in. (He’s been deported - my cousin turned him in. ) I wondered if part of the Peruvian drug dealers’ motivation other than getting rich was to hurt Americans along the way - as they (I presume) felt Americans perhaps hurt their own country. They certainly knew easy targets. They even gave the girls 2 days to “think about” it at the beginning. And during that “thinking” time, clearly not much thinking happened. It’s almost as if the girls were cognitively impaired a little bit - or something. Too many late night parties. Thanks for your insights.
I watched this show. After it ended, I told my wife that I couldn’t imagine two less-sympathetic characters. They came across as dumb, delusional, and ungrateful. Unlike most people who are caught running cocaine, they didn’t serve much jail time, came back to supportive families, and resumed normal (in Krista’s case at least, really interesting) lives.
I loved the phony scenes when Krista went back to the jail and gave some inane “keep up the hope” speech to a group of people who couldn’t understand English. Maybe that was the point - her speech was really only for the SoCal party girls on the “free vacations”.
Send ‘em back to jail…
Brad: Are you related or associated to either of these women? I get the impression that you are taking a very biased approach to this.
The indisputable facts are that they:
1. Went to Peru knowing that they would be smuggling back cocaine.
2. They were arrested at Lima airport in possession of cocaine.
3. At the time of arrest, they initially tried to deny that the bags were theirs.
4. Other people both in the USA and in Peru organized the venture and supplied the cocaine.
Everything else is the story as told by the women. Ever watch those “To catch a predator” shows? Every single time, it’s the same story from the guy about having never done this before. I’m not suggesting that these women did this before, but except in very rare situations, people caught committing crimes will only admit to what is undeniable, and even that will be mitigated by explanations of being tricked and forced.
As Elaine has said, why didn’t they ask the English-speaking tour guide to help them? Why didn’t they go straight to the police at the airport? Why did they try to lie about their bags upon discovery of the cocaine?
I have no doubt that it was all going according to plan up until the airport search, and that after talks with lawyers and advisors, the issue of being treated badly by the drug suppliers was ramped-up.
Interesting thoughts. It is incredible difficult to believe that the girls were truly THAT naive. So, you gotta wonder about that. There is some pretty detailed legal/reported documentation about what happened. But, I do agree it’s wise for us not to be naive about how naive the girls are portrayed.
I still can’t swallow that they didn’t both completely freak out when their passport’s were taken away, and do everything in their power to get help. When you’re overseas, that’s everything.
I do know one of the individuals who is in college full-time, working and taking care of her son and husband. I know it is difficult to be unbiased since I know her but my way of thinking is that there are many things in our society that encourage “easy money”. I am sure that they did not know the amount of drugs or the consequences that would follow. How many teenagers in the families that surround you make huge judgement mistakes like DUI’s, doing drugs, dropping out of college, getting pregnant, etc?? Parents may educate and inform but their children may still fall prey to this type of situation. Ten years later Jennifer is a different person and shouldn’t she be given a second chance. Is that not what prison time is supposed to do-rehabilitate. Did either one of these women reoffend-NO. I think when discussing this story it should be recognized that although irresponsible their mistake has been learned from. 90% of high school/college students have done drugs or drank underage. Most do not get caught. Look at Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton, terrible mistakes and their families have contributed to their continuation of that lifestyle. Jennifer’s family never said she was not guilty, or that she was not wrong in her action. They were supportive to change her environment to serve her time.
Hi Jacqueline - you make really, really excellent points. You’re totally right on the parent comment. And a kid’s generation is bound to have totally different issues to it then a parent’s also - e.g. drug traffic issues. That’s a really good point. Who would know…my parents never said anything to me about it. Come to think of if, they never taught me about traveling, embassies, passports.
There was something about their situation that struck a cord so deeply in me, and I think it was - about how vulnerable we are - youth/young women, and how we can be preyed upon. And that it really could have been me, or other women friends - in their shoes, or in some other similar situation back in the day. When we were kids - teens and early twenties (I’m in my early thirties now), we were all approached with situations and when we were so naive. It could have all gone any number of ways. Yes, we all totally deserve second chances. All of us do, and third and fourth’s and fifth’s and ongoing.
I’m grateful to be more aware of this pattern of preying that is happening. It must have taken a tremendous amount of courage - on a scale that I can’t even really relate to - not only to get through that experience, but then to come forth and share the story. In so doing - we all could learn from it. This is a courage on a scale that I can’t imagine.
I know from personal experience that if you can get through years of trauma and abuse, and you truly heal from it, you end up becoming somebody who can actually truly help other people. That healing may take years and years. But, still, eventually, one may become someone who uplifts, educates, and helps others - someone who truly affect change in a positive way - on a much larger scale than just a few people here and there along the way. And it looks like this is the trajectory of these two women.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and helping me think more deeply, and more personally, about this.
wow, i am in africa doing humanitarian work and have yet to see the final cut of the (my) story. but reading these comments are haunting. do you have any direct questions for me?
krista
Hi Krista,
Have you seen the final cut of the story? I’m sorry about the insensitivity of some of the comments. Jacqueline’s point for me was well-taken and helpful.
Just out of curiosity …. what are people paid to be interviewed for the show?
thanks,
In November 1999 when they were released, my little girl was recovering from an accident, a bad one, here in American. I just thought there was some irony to the stories
Hi Krista, I just want to tell you good luck in everything that you do. I am from Peru living in New Jersey. I feel so sorry what they did to you when you were teen. Good luck. And I want to tell you that you are very beatiful.
Ray
Krista and Elaine;
We just watched the story. You know what, its like Jacqueline said, you 2 served your time and its over. You 2 just need to ignore the ignorance in the general population about this and move on with your lives and live every day to its fullest. We felt for you, from the beginning to the end we were on the edge of our seat just hoping that maybe you both would have gotten away with it and never did it again. Your both very sweet girls and you just got caught up in a very bad situation with some very shady people. AND you were 19 years old. I remember when I was 19. We just wont go there. But We know. I cant imagine not being home for the holidays for even 1 year much less 3. Everyone needs to give credit where credit is due. I know I would have NEVER survived . I probably would have killed myself one way or another. I give you ALL THE CREDIT IN THE WORLD. I feel that your stories can only have a positive impact on society. Educating innocent people like yourselves on these complete losers in our society destroying peoples lives with drugs. I wish you both the very very best in your future. And again, we did feel for you. We felt like we were right there with you when we watched the show.
GOOD LUCK OUT THERE, BE SAFE, AND STAY SMART!
God Bless you both.
I know the show was supposed to elicit sympathy for these girls. I know they were young and then separated from their families for some time, but if they were successful in bringing that poisen back to the US, how many teenagers would have OD’D. If you had lost a loved one to that crap, you would want every smuggler to suffer to the fullest extent of the law! A teenager who tries the stuff is stupid also, but a dead teenager doesn’t get THREE years!
Wow, Krista, I think that what you are doing now and by volunteering to have your story publicly told is just amazing. If by sharing your story you prevent just one other person from making the same mistakes I think that it is just great. I cannot even begin to imagine the emotions that you had felt in your stories. Both of you are extremely lucky that you were able to get out of the situation and it’s great that you’re now able to take that experience and share it with others.
I just saw the story today and all of these stories are so powerful that I’ve seen so far.
I think that these shows should be shown as part of the social studies curriculum in JR high across the entire US.
One of the most interesting lessons to be learned here is the value of our own rights and judicial system in the US. We are fortunate to have a system which, although is flawed, is far and above greatly superior to that of many other countries. When travelling abroad it is important that once outside the US, your rights are no longer there and the consequences of anything are far outside of your own control and the influence of what most of us take for granted.
Krista, keep up the good work and I hope that other young people are able to learn from your story.
I love this series and have watched every episode. In one of them, they explained that the drug dealers choose innocent targets and then loaded them up with large quantities of drugs, more than was initially stated. They were set up because once the mules were caught, the informants would receive a percentage of the amount of the drugs attempting to be smuggled. They have never mentioned this in any of the other episodes. Do they really get away with smuggling this way? The last one in Peru certainly seemed an unlikely place to have that much cocaine go undectected-particularly with the drug sniffing dogs everywhere. If this is a common practice to get unsuspecting foreigners to smuggle drugs for them, aren’t the authorities onto this practice or are they in on it? It’s unclear to me.
Sorry I have been MIA, I went from Africa back to Peru for research and I have only returned to the US a week ago.
I have read through some of these comments and wanted to respond personally…
YEARS after this experience, getting on with our lives and moving forward we were approached by NG to do our story. It was never intended to obtain ’sympathy’ or get a pay check (we were NOT paid for this). We did this (and will do it again if approached) to get people to talk about it, to hopefully SAVE one person from going through this-
Also, when I returned to the prison to speak to the ENGLISH and non-ENGLISH speaking foreigners (I addressed them in Spanish)- it was to shed light on the aftermath of what they can expect, to give them hope which is hard to come by when you are locked-up away from the world, family and friends.
So there it is…if anyone has questions, again, feel free to post them here, I will do my best to check in more often. I am not trying to defend myself or Jennifer or the situation, I just feel that many of you are getting the wrong impression and an open discussion allows for better understanding.
best,
krista
Krista,
I just finished watching the episode and I have to tell you how moved I was by it. I will not criticize you for we learn from our mistakes, big or small. In your case it took a major life lesson to change your life around. I can not even begin to think how I would’ve kept my spirits going for if I have been in your situation. This truely is an incredible story and I just want to say how happy I was for you and Jennifer when you finally left the prison. I am very interested in the work that you did in Africa and I am hoping, if you will, post some of your experiences here.
Thanks again.
Krista,
Looking back, what do you think gave away to the police at Lima that you two were smuggling drugs? Did they ask you anything else besides where you had been?
Hey Krista,
I am actually your age, or very close, and I come from an area similar to yours: NJ/NY Metro area. The point is I can relate to some of the events and understand how someone in our generation could fall into that trap, especially if you were partying hard when the guys asked you to run the drugs. I’m guessing that the time between the decision and flight was pretty quick – a few days?
Quick questions:
Other than the dirtiness of the prison, it seemed like the prison was pretty mild. Actually, it just looked like a poor community that is seen in many parts of the world. I’m not sure that this really reinforced the whole moral of the story of its not good to get locked up in another country. How were the conditions? I did notice a few articles relating to the lawyers fighting for human rights in relation to your case… and if so why wasn’t that displayed in the prison – I’m guessing maybe the Peruvian government would not allow it? Rats and roaches around, or in the food, while unsanitary does not sound horrible enough for a human rights case.
I know that it has been asked above, but when they took your passport, or the dance instructor’s number, why didn’t you guys try to find a way out? I’m sure they were feeding you plenty of coke to keep you at bay (no need to comment on this), but I’d like to know what you guys were feeling. Did you try to find help, where they watching over you, etc, etc. I have to imagine that you girls started getting apprehensive after 2-3 days of house arrest.
Finally, how is Africa? It definitely sounds like an interesting job, and it sounds like you really turned your life around. Everyone makes mistakes and it’s good to hear that you turned your life around and are moving on.
Interesting show, that must have been awful. Krista, want to hook me up with Jennifer she’s gorgeous, as are you haha
Krista Barnes was hottt! I dont know why you would have had her smuggle drugs and not done something else…
Krista,
I just watched the show this weekend. I can identify with your story for several reasons. One - several years ago someone took advantage of me - completely lied about who they were and kept up with that lie for nearly two years until I found out the truth on my own. So I can identify with being tricked and being used and not wanting to believe your friend was in on it. Second my dad spent time in US prison for dealing coke. He did 2.5 years in max. security when I was little. I don’t know how much it was but I know it was a lot less than what was in your bags. The whole ordeal was very difficult for our family - cost a lot of money in legal fees and was very emotionally draining. I’ve heard stories from him about how tough he had to be or else the inmates would walk all over you. After getting out he started his own business…it’s hard to start over with something like that on your record. There are still things he can’t do like leave the country or own a fire arm. He was dealing because he loaned someone money and was trying to get it back…stupid mistake but costly. Finally I’m looking to do community development in Africa. So all in all I found your story to hit home and be very touching. I just wanted to tell you that I think it’s great that you shared your experience with others and opened yourself up like that and that you should be proud of what you’ve survived and been able to accomplish. Best of luck to you. If only we could see into the future huh?
Jennifer and Krista,
After watching the show, i was very distrub on how someone can treat people like you. Those guys that approach you and the ones that picked you up at the airport. You see, i have five sisters, four older that me and one younger. I always been the “brother” that watches for them, especially the ones around my age. I always expressed my dissaproval when i ‘ve met guys or dates that had something about them. I remenber going on vacation with a sister 3 years older than me to Morocco. i always remenbered that guy from Europe who at first appeared to be friendly. I guess i had that extra sense that tell me about someone energy. i’ve told my sister that i didn’t like that guy at all and did not want him to be with us on the rest of the trip. That guy confronted me by asking why i was so “freaky” in front of my sister. I told him off in a restaurant and told him that i was ready to call the cops if he didn’t leave me and my sister alone. i never forget ordering him to go his way while we went ours. my sister never wanted to talk about that anymore and only told me that she understand my feelings and i was trying maybe to be overprotective of her. maybe. I follow my instincts in life and so far i’ve been out of trouble. back to you story, i like the way it ended. You’ve learned something.
There is a girl from the same area i’m from in France ( but i’m italian, long story) that is stucked in mexican jail. She’s been accused and sentenced by the government of Mexico for 96 yrs. They “said” in the mexicans medias that her boyfriend at the time was a professional kidnapper and she was arrested for complicity.
She claiming her innocence by saying that an ex business partner of her brother, established in Mexico a couple year already went coucou on him by becoming a psycho and wanting to take control of what once was a prosper and money making pharmacitical distribution swiss company. I suspect the ex business pulling the strings for having that girl behind bar and lock away as a pure pressure to shaken the brother for giving up his shares in the company once the two managed.
That story seems to go all the way up the secretary of state newly nominated individual that seems to gravitate in the ex business circle of friends.She already asked for helpto french president but was told that she has to follow the mexican decisions.
i think that sucks that this ex business guy gets to intimidate all those people simply because he can. She had a lawyer, but that guy was a joke. He kept telling her that everything was going to be allright. Meanwhile, the status of limitation expires and the only recourse she have is appealing the verdict as absurb it can be.
here i am living in the USA that send money to countries like Mexico to irradicate “terrorism” to have all that cash ending up in guys that this ex business guy and his “friends”. Make me sick to my stomach. I plan on making my way to the nearest mexican consulate to protest in front of it, to free that girl (that i don’t enve know).
I am motivated that the fact that she can be one of my sisters.
You thought on the whole thing.
Thanks ,Phil
They were not tricked. They were not used. They were just incredibly stupid. I have no sympathy for them whatsoever.
This is not an anti-drug rant. I actually am for the legalization of all drugs.
But they were told what they had to do (I don’t care how much they thought it would be; if it was any amount at all, and they agreed to it, it is their fault), and they took the offer.
They knew what they were being asked to do, and they did it. They were just plain dumb.
Yes, I have made mistakes in my life. Plenty of them. But I have never done anything as stupid as try to carry drugs across an international border. We all do dumb things sometimes. Very few of us ever do something THAT dumb.
Thanks everyone for your comments, I appreciate the stir of conversation and questions…
I am back in LA and hope to return to Africa end of summer for some on the ground research; in the meantime I am working and moving forward.
I will do my best to reply to your comments individually (questions….) soon, it’s mothers day today
best,
krista
I’m sorry, but the word “tricked” has no place in this story, no matter how you try to explain it.
“M” clearly doesn’t get the story. Aside from general manipulation and though I (and everyone) can acknowledge that knowingly accepting an illegal offer is wrong, being “tricked” is still manipulation. So “M” can be sorry… I accept that.
If someone says that they’ll give you $20 for running two miles, then you run two miles and get $2 from the offer… you were “conned.” “Con” coming from “confidence,” and “con men” trick people…
Are we supposed think that 19 year old semi-rebellious kids are always righteous, steadfast and impossible to manipulate? Are we supposed to expect great-judgement from teenagers all or almost-all of the time?
I don’t. I’m fully ready to acknowledge that teenagers make mistakes, and I also know that older criminals can prey on younger people. Been there, done that, and Krista and Jennifer paid because of their “happy-go-lucky-do-anything” nature and for trusting a “friend.”
Guilt simply doesn’t negate the reality of the situation.
Krista
I don’t know if you remember me or not, I actually came from the Embassy in 1997 to visit you and the other girls in the prison. Unfortunately I have not seen the National Geographic special and was out of the country when you went on Oprah. I am happy to see that you are home safe and have continued your life. To the critics, I’ve seen firsthand what these women have been through, okay they were naive, they were young, and by all accounts they were clueless, however, I have yet to meet a teenager who isn’t. When I met these women they had been locked up for quite sometime and NONE of them denied what they had done, however the conditions of the prison were horrible and in my opinion NOBODY deserves that type of treatment. Krista, welcome home, good to have you back.
Krista,
hello dear , its your long lost cousin!!!! i just want to say i am very proud for all you have done with your life ! you are truely a special indivdual, a woman with a heart of gold . i miss you come back to mi if you ever get a chance. take care & god bless
Marcie, Timothy!!!! How are you? Please email me!
barneskrista@gmail.com
I am leaving for Africa again in three weeks- headed back to northern Zambia and the DRC. Much looking forward to getting back in touch- thank you for the comments.
with love,
krista
Whether you want to believe it or not, these girls WERE manipulated. You say they were “dumb” but I knew them personally (friends in high school) and they were not dumb girls by any stretch. As a teenager, one can be incredibly naive and easily taken advantage of. You don’t know what their situation was at the time and what caused two intelligent girls to fall for whatever promises these guys made.
You also aren’t likely to have had experience with guys like the ones that used these girls. You cannot make judgments or accusations without experience. You have no idea of the powerful ways in which these people convince easily impressionable young women (it’s usually girls more than guys). The girls were naive, impressionable, careless, and manipulated (some have chosen to use the word tricked).
If you speak with Krista today and listen to what she has to say, you would see that she is far from dumb and has obviously grown incredibly over the years showing that naivete and carelessness, not stupidity, got the best of her.
I think that the people involved in the series are greedy and naive. I can’t imagine being in that kind of situation–probably because I would never put myself in that situation. I also think part of it is cultural. Do you notice that none of the people featured in these shows are black? (And no, it’s not because black people don’t travel, or can’t afford to) African American children are taught to have a healthy fear of authority, the police, etc. We are so often the targets of racism, that we have a pretty good radar about what situations to stay out of. Case in point—the young lady who went to Aruba and turned up missing. Who the hell goes to a foreign country, gets drunk and leaves with a strange foreigner? Why would you get in a car with a stranger? They teach you that in first grade!
Why would you let someone talk you into going to a foreign country to smuggle drugs? Why would you agree to walk into the fire for a stranger who wants you to do something illegal? If it’s so easy, why isn’t HE doing it? Why do you think you’re smart enough to trick customs agents, the police AND narcotics dogs? For $5,000, no less!
I get really nervous when I watch these shows on NatGeo. The one last night about the guy in Lima almost had me sick with anticipation for this guy. But in the end, he was STUPID! To go to a foreign country with no money with a girl you met weeks before?
I travel abroad too. I stay my butt on the cruise ship, then when it’s time to get off, I stay in the tourist areas. Then I get back on and go home.
Common sense, people.
Just to clarify, I was responding to many of the comments left on this sight that ignorantly claim the girls were stupid and in no way manipulated. I did not mean to imply that Brad himself said those things.
hmm, so who is this ‘S’?
I have been in Africa, again, just getting back into Los Angeles and reality (grrrr). If anyone would like to write me, I am open to communicating and or answering questions, please feel free to email me (my email is on my website).
http://www.thereelproject.org
thank you all for the comments.
krista