A Green Party candidate in London is sharing her past experiences with drug smuggling as she seeks to make a difference in her community. Carlotta Allum, who is campaigning for a seat on the Lambeth council, recounted her harrowing experience of being caught smuggling 10,000 ecstasy tablets into Los Angeles nearly three decades ago.
Allum, who was acting as a mule for a drug dealer from Leeds, faced the possibility of a ten-year prison sentence in the United States. She was apprehended at Los Angeles International Airport with the drugs concealed on her body, and was promised £5,000 for the smuggling operation, along with another £5,000 for bringing cocaine back to London.
“It was terrifying,” Allum reflected in an interview, recalling her time spent in the Metropolitan Detention Centre in LA and expressing regret for her decision to transport the drugs.
During her incarceration, Allum learned she was pregnant, adding to the emotional turmoil of her situation. “My mum was coming over to make provisions to look after the baby near the prison,” she said, describing the experience as traumatic. However, she was able to testify against the dealer who had recruited her, leading to his seven-year prison sentence in the UK.
At the age of 25, Allum spent nine months in prison before being released and returning to the UK. Now 54, she has dedicated her life to helping others through her charity, Stretch, based in Brixton, south-west London. The organization supports drug addicts, the homeless, prisoners, and other vulnerable populations.
Transforming Adversity into Advocacy
Allum emphasized that her personal experiences with the criminal justice system have equipped her with unique insights that inform her work. “It’s given me an insight into criminal justice, into prejudice against people with criminal records,” she stated. Her journey has motivated her to work with young people to steer them away from similar paths.
“People with real-life experience have a lot to offer, I think, in politics in general,” she added, citing the recent appointment of a former prisoner as head of corrections in New York City as an example of this perspective being recognized.
As she campaigns for a council seat in the Brixton Windrush ward, Allum is joined by her husband, Andrew, who is also running as a Green Party candidate. She joined the party last September, shortly after Zack Polanski became the leader, and felt a surge of momentum within the party.
“It felt really exciting, like you really could get involved and make a difference,” she recalled.
Advocating for Drug Policy Reform
Allum is a proponent of the Green Party’s controversial stance on drug legalization, which includes Class A substances such as heroin and cocaine. She believes that legalizing drugs would disrupt illegal markets and prioritize treatment over criminalization.
With the May elections approaching, Allum is actively campaigning every evening. She has found that her past does not deter local residents from engaging with her, as they are more focused on pressing local and national issues.
When she sought to be selected as a Green candidate, Allum was transparent about her history with drugs. “I grew up in Manchester. I was part of the acid house rave scene in Manchester,” she explained, noting that there was a degree of decriminalization of drugs during that time.
She recounted how she was lured into drug smuggling by someone she knew who was already under surveillance. “I got tempted into taking some Es to America. But he was already being watched. He was stopped with my details on him. I was stopped. I was intercepted at the airport. I testified against him. I was caught bang to rights,” she said.
Her parents remortgaged their home to pay £30,000 in bail money, allowing her to be released after nine months. “You can make a deal in America, which he wouldn’t have been able to do here. But it did make me feel very lucky,” she reflected, acknowledging the support she received during her ordeal.
Overcoming Stigma and Building a Future
Upon her return to the UK, Allum found it challenging to secure employment as a qualified teacher due to the tightened criminal record checks following the Soham murders in 2002. “I couldn’t get a job because of my over six months in prison,” she lamented, emphasizing the stigma associated with having a criminal record.
Allum has spent over 20 years working in Brixton prison and leading her charity, feeling that she has effectively utilized her experiences to benefit others. She is currently pursuing a PhD at Central Saint Martins University of the Arts, focusing on how individuals with lived experiences can assist those reentering society after incarceration.
“I work with homeless people, addicts, vulnerable people, and young people to try and get people to envision a better future for themselves through creative arts,” she stated.
Allum’s journey from a troubled past to a life dedicated to advocacy and support illustrates the potential for redemption and the importance of understanding the complexities of the criminal justice system.
Bildquelle: ai-generated-gemini
