Description
Drug Muled: Sixteen Years In A Thai Prison by Joanne Joseph & Larissa Focke is a powerful true story of survival, injustice, and resilience. Set against the backdrop of South Africa’s transition in 1994, it follows the life-altering experience of Vanessa Goosen, a 21-year-old Miss SA finalist whose promising future is abruptly shattered.
Tricked into transporting books containing hidden drugs, Goosen is arrested in Thailand and convicted of drug trafficking. Despite maintaining her innocence, she is sentenced to death by the Thai courts. On appeal, her sentence is reduced to life imprisonment, to be served in Bangkok’s notorious Lard Yao Prison.
What follows is a harrowing 16-year journey marked by harsh prison conditions, emotional endurance, and profound personal loss. Separated from her young daughter after three years, Goosen faces the devastating realities of motherhood behind bars while navigating the psychological toll of long-term incarceration.
This deeply moving account not only reveals the brutal realities of foreign imprisonment but also explores themes of hope, identity, and the challenge of rebuilding a life after release. Goosen’s eventual return to South Africa in 2010 highlights the difficulty of reintegration into a country that has changed dramatically during her absence.
Karin’s Choice: An extraordinary true story of grace and restoration, showing how one woman’s unwavering spirit helped her survive sixteen difficult years and emerge with a message of hope for the world.
Photos are taken by Karin’s Treasures.
