Dapirka, who lived in Thailand
when she met her lover, known as Nick, was caught with almost 3kg of cocaine by
Vietnamese customs on a flight from Singapore.
A 30-year-old Russian woman
accused of being a cocaine mule faces the death penalty in Vietnam.
But Maria Dapirka, who has
already written a ‘farewell letter’ to her mother, claims she was set up by her
lover who posed as a top footballer.
Her lawyers have said she
has accepted she may soon be executed, but still clings on to some hope she
will be freed after three years in prison.
She said the cocaine was
planted in her luggage by Nick — or ‘Chib Eze’ — who apparently has a penchant
for seducing attractive young women before conning them into carrying drugs.
Dapirka’s verdict and
sentence was due to be handed down by a Vietnamese judge on Thursday in a Ho
Chi Minh city court, but the session was postponed ‘for further investigation’
for the fifth time.
In a letter to her mother
Olga, a desperate Dapirka said she was ready for any decision by the court.
She wrote: “Don’t worry
about me. I am fine. I am ready for any end. I hope you will manage to visit
me.
“I’ve not seen you for four
years. I miss you so much! Please take good care of your health.”
Her lawyer Sunkar
Nurmagambetov said: “We have received Maria’s appeal. She addressed her family
and said that she has not lost faith yet, but realistically, she understands
there might be scenarios like a death sentence or life term.”
Pro-Kremlin news site Mash
in Russia published a picture purporting to be ‘Nick’, the man she accuses of
framing her after they met in Thailand.
The Nigerian media has
claimed the same man used different fake names to dupe dozens of other women
with model looks to act as drugs mules. His real name is not known.
“What started as a
beautiful love story for these innocent girls with model looks ended up in a
nightmare on the death row on drug-trafficking charges,’ reported NAIJ.com two
years ago.
“All these beautiful girls
have been duped into being drug mules by an elusive Nigerian drug baron, who
pretended to be a professional footballer or a pro from the fashion industry.
“He seduced the girls,
promising to marry them and establishing intimate relationships with his
victims, but little did they know what they have been chosen for.”
A campaign organised by
Maria Dapirka’s friends calling for her release alleged that ‘a whole criminal
syndicate of Nigerian men work in Asia and all around the world, like Maria’s
so-called boyfriend.
“They make up all sorts of
stories, win trust, some even marry their potential future drug mules. Maria is
not in this alone, there is plenty of girls like her who trust these men.”
Maria was caught with two
nylon bags packed with cocaine in her hand baggage, and more wedged inside a
magazine, at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport in August
2014.
Popular tourist destination
Vietnam has some of the most severe penalties for drug offences in the world.
People caught with even
small quantities of hard drugs are liable to be executed.
More than two dozen
foreigners are currently facing the death penalty or life imprisonment for drug
trafficking offences.
(DailyNews)
I don't believe they don't know, they do
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