Previously only a small number of heroin smugglers had received such a sentence. At the time the judge did not fix a minimum sentence or non-parole period because van Dijk was a foreign national. He served most of his sentence in Albany Prison, near Perth in Western Australia. Despite unceasing efforts by Ineke and friends on his behalf, including diplomatic efforts, the Australian authorities refused to budge in the extraction of their pound of flesh. Van Dijk watched convicted murderers enter and be released from jail in the years he spent there, not to mention many violent criminals, rapists and heroin traffickers while frantic and continuous efforts to secure his release came to nothing.
People involved in the trafficking of drugs are criminals.
I have no sympathy for criminals. You pay your money and take your choice. This is a view shared by Dick van Dijk. It is, however, my view that the use and supply of drugs should not be a criminal offence. Drugs should not have to be smuggled.