Drug Dealing Overseas, Is It Worth The Fun and Money?

You may find yourself living overseas in a culture where things all of a sudden may seem a little more relaxed than they were at home. Or you may feel that with your English, contacts, and first world passport, you are in a position of power somehow. You may not really have found a viable, legitimate way to support yourself living abroad. Or you may see the local drug trade and think that if you applied your considerable business savvy, applied with a little multi-level marketing, you could be outselling the locals in no time flat, soon to move into your new villa to finish out your years living the good life as your peons take over the day to day operations.

It almost sounds like it could work to sell a few drugs here and there, doesn´t it? DO NOT even think about it. Many countries still have no problem putting foreigners in jail or informally executing them for even alleged ties to the drug trade. In many cases, your passport does not mean a thing. In fact, it may be the first thing to go missing when they file your belongings while they incarcerate you.


A few examples:
Indonesia has ridiculously strict anti-drug laws. In Indonesia, you don't have to be caught with any drugs to face a jail sentence of several years. In Indonesia, all the authorities need to file charges against you, is proof that you have been using drugs…not even selling them!!!! As of recently, that proof is easy to come by. The Indonesian police (possibly because of grants from the American DEA or comparable Australian law enforcement agencies) is now well-equipped with on the spot laboratories for urine tests to determine whether you have been taking drugs that day or in previous days. They are also completely authorized to perform hair analyses to determine whether you have been taking drugs the past few months or years.

The Indonesian police uses this equipment to randomly test locals and foreigners. And jail sentences of 40-50 years are not uncommon. For marijuana offenses, one could face 20 years. And their preferred method of execution in more serious cases? Firing squad.


In Malaysia, Long jail sentences and heavy fines are mandatory for suspects caught with controlled substances, and the death penalty is prescribed for drug traffickers. And what exactly constitutes drug trafficking? The law presumes you are trafficking drugs if you’re caught in possession of at least half an ounce of heroin or at least seven ounces of marijuana.

The Philippines has an even lower tolerance than Malaysia. The law prescribes the death penalty for drug traffickers caught with at least 0.3 ounce of opium, morphine, heroin, cocaine, marijuana resin, or at least 17 ounces of marijuana. Those found in possession of drugs but not trafficking are still punished harshly if caught – the minimum sentence is 12 years in prison for possession of.17 ounce of illegal drugs.

In Singapore, The Misuse of Drugs Act is very strict – if you are caught with at least half an ounce of heroin, at least 1 ounce of morphine or cocaine, or at least 17 ounces of marijuana you are presumed to be trafficking and face a mandatory death penalty. 400 people were hanged for drug trafficking in Singapore between 1991 and 2004. This is not the country to mess with.

Vietnam strictly enforces its drug laws. Possession of heroin in quantities larger than 1.3 pounds gets you a mandatory death sentence, no questions asked. In 2007 alone, 85 people were executed for drug offenses.
And Dubai, which comes across as one of the most liberal places to be in the Middle East, is incredibly conservative when it comes to their no-tolerence drug policy. And by no-tolerence, I mean NO TOLERENCE whatsoever! Customs authorities are now using highly sensitive new equipment to conduct extremely thorough searches on travelers and if they find any amount - no matter how minute - it will be enough to attract a mandatory four year prison sentence.

One man was recently sentenced to four years in prison after 0.003g of cannabis was found in the tread of his shoe by customs officials in Dubai during transit from Ethiopia to London. Such a miniscule amount would not even be visible to the naked eye, and would weigh less than one grain of sugar.

Another example of the strictness in Dubai is that a Swiss national is currently serving four years after three poppy seeds were found on his clothes by customs officials at Dubai airport. His rational reason that fell on deaf ears? He had bought and eaten a poppy seed bread roll at Heathrow before flying to UAE.

Overseas, it may not matter what citizenship you may have, to the powers that be, you are in their eyes just another drug dealer causing the demise of their country. There are many too many possible serious situations that you will never talk or bribe your way out of. I hope that this has been sufficient to deter any drug trafficking dreams you may have secretly been harboring. So instead, for quick cash abroad, go teach some English and call it a day!

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