A disabled Canadian woman could be sentenced to 10 years in a South Korean prison after a man she met online tricked her into becoming a drug mule.
Spring Parks, 59, of Vancouver, was arrested on February 1 after she unknowingly brought four kilograms of methamphetamine into South Korea, her lawyers told CTV News.
Parks, who is deaf and has cognitive challenges, believed she was in a legitimate relationship with her internet lover and flew overseas so they could meet in person.
He allegedly instructed her to stop in South Africa to collect a suitcase before continuing her journey to Asia, the defense claimed.
'We genuinely believe that No. 1, she doesn't know what was in the packages (and) No. 2, that she was a victim here,' her attorney Sean Hayes told the outlet.
But prosecutors, citing the sheer amount of meth hidden in the luggage, remain skeptical of that explanation.
South Korea has a zero-tolerance policy for drug crimes, with trafficking carrying a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
Parks has been behind bars for the past two months and is reportedly having a 'difficult time processing the whole situation.'
Parks flew to South Korea so she could meet her lover in person. Her attorneys claim the man instructed her to stop in South Africa to collect a suitcase before continuing her journey to Asia. They allege she had no idea that drugs had been hidden inside the luggage.
Hayes and her South Korean-based attorney Soyoung Yoon are preparing for her trial and hoping the judge will limit her sentence to only a few months in jail.
They will need to convince the court that Parks is the victim in this case, which Hayes admits that at first sight does not appear to be the case.
'You don't believe it,' he told the outlet. 'But then when you look into the text messages and the communications going back and forth and you see how vulnerable she is. That's what people prey on.'
Parks has an incredibly trusting nature, which her daughters Lorenne and Andrea believe made her more susceptible to the romance scam.
'Our mom is deaf and has cognitive challenges that affect her judgment and decision-making. She is extremely trusting and vulnerable, which sadly made her an easy target for someone with harmful intentions,' the sisters wrote on a GoFundMe campaign raising funds for legal expenses.
'We, as her family, are completely heartbroken and confused.'
The defense is fighting for a not guilty verdict, but admits a 'very good' outcome for the case would be a suspended sentence of time served.
Ten years would be the worst-case scenario, but the defense admits that without knowing the mindset of the judge or prosecution it is hard to predict an outcome.
Parks has been 'very emotional and sad' in prison and is starting to come to terms with the fact that the man she thought she loved was scamming her, Yoon said.
If found guilty of drug trafficking, Park could face up to 10 years in South Korean prison.
Parks has been 'very emotional and sad' in prison and is starting to come to terms with the fact that the man she thought she loved was scamming her, Yoon said.
She has supplemental clothing to help keep her warm, as South Korean prisons can get quite cold during the winter.
Funds have been put on her commissary account so that she can substitute the 'very basic' and 'far from ideal' prison food with store-bought items.
Although they have not spoken to their mother since her arrest, Lorenne and Andrea are working closely with Parks' lawyers and the Canadian Consulate. They want to demonstrate that she was a 'victim of exploitation', the GoFundMe said.
'If you know our mom, you know her heart. She is kind, loving, and deeply cares about everyone around her,' they wrote.
'She made a mistake in trusting the wrong person, but she did not knowingly commit a crime. She is not a trafficker. She is a vulnerable woman who was manipulated and exploited. She is not a criminal. She is our mom.'
The sisters have also vacated their mother's residence and sold off her belongings to help cover her 'significant' legal costs.
The Daily Mail has approached Hayes and the Parks sisters for comment.