About 70 New Zealanders known to be jailed overseas, but true number is likely higher – The Front Page

About 70 New Zealanders are currently known to be in prison overseas, but officials say the true number could be higher.

NZ Herald senior crime and justice reporter Anna Leask says the Government holds details only on those who choose to make contact.

She told The Front Page podcast that “while there’s sort of between 70 and 80 Kiwis on their list that they know of, there may be more out there that just have not let the Government know”.

Those cases range widely in severity.

“They’re either on remand awaiting court action, or they’ve been sentenced. The cases span everything from minor drug allegations, right up to big meth and heroin busts and trafficking, exploitation and murder.”

Referring to the public interest in people being jailed while overseas, Leask said the prison systems, conditions and penalties of other countries were likely to be behind it.

“Most of us wouldn’t even know what a normal prison is like, let alone these sort of notorious overseas prisons.

“Seeing the conditions that people are living in, I think there’s just a fascination with it.

“It’s just you thinking of people like yourself from normal Kiwi life that go on these holidays and end up ... in these prisons that just sound and look absolutely terrifying. And you’ve heard about the conditions and the overcrowding and the rats and the sickness and the lack of food and health and medical stuff.

“I think there’s a fascination with how people survive that ... It’s just so far removed from normal Kiwi life that we just ... we love to read about it and to know about it.”

Leask said lawyers working for clients in custody abroad could also face difficulties navigating foreign judicial systems.

“Language and processes are different in every country. Some of them may not be as clear-cut as New Zealand. Some of them may not be as fair. There’s a lot of corruption out there.”

Those who found themselves in legal trouble while abroad should contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and embassy officials as soon as possible, she said.

“Get your family onto it ... don’t wait and hope that someone will help. Get someone who knows what they’re doing to connect you with the right people and navigate that process from there.

“You are going to be dealing with so many things that are so crazy and so different, just in daily survival in an overseas prison.

“You need someone advocating for you that knows the system and knows what they’re doing to get you the best result and to make sure that you’re being treated properly and fairly.”

Listen to the full episode to hear more on:

• The latest cases involving Kiwis arrested overseas
• Why some prisoners never contact New Zealand authorities
• Why doing drugs overseas is not worth the risk

The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5pm. The podcast is presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting who joined NZME in 2016.

You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.