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U.S. prisoner in Morocco writes
I hope you can be of some assistance. I am 51 years old, born in Los Angeles. I am currently the only U.S. citizen incarcerated in Morocco (Africa). I am in for hashish-related offenses. I was jailed in May 1999 for 10 years, with no chance of 'good time' off, and by what can only be termed a 'kangaroo court.'
Even while I was undergoing the trauma of dealing with my sentence and the totally sub-human conditions of the Tangier prison regime, I was set upon by the D.E.A. who flew in to question me from Florida. I had not eaten or slept for days, and they proceeded to read me my rights, then told me I did not need a lawyer because it was Africa. D.E.A. agents began an investigation that had nothing at all to do with America.
No hash was going to the States, and no money was coming from the States. After my incarceration they informed me that because I had sent $2,000 to my sister in Orlando, they would be looking at the money laundering laws for violations. I then found out that they flew back to Florida and began to harass my sister with threats of total asset seizure because of drug related offenses (of which she was innocent). After a period of harassment (for 18 months), she could take no more. She shot herself fatally in the head at her home where she lived with her husband who was a lay preacher.
The U.S. Consul to Morocco came to me two days after my arrest and advised me that the Moroccan police could be trusted. I had no hashish with me when arrested, but the police said that if I admitted to possession of hash, I would get two years. By following the Consul's advice I was given 10 years. He did not attend my trial or assist in any way with my defense. He gave me names of lawyers that were two hundred miles away none in my area.
I hope you will be able to help by sending all useful publications and inform anyone who would be interested in my case. I am desperate for any help whatsoever. This place makes Midnight Express look like a Disney movie.
Yours Most Sincerely,
Ricky WinlandNext Prisoner of the War on Drugs
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