As her 19-year-old daughter Jade remains behind bars in a Hong Kong prison, Naderia is speaking out about the devastating international drug scheme that ensnared her child—and her ongoing battle to bring her home.
While Naderia expressed relief following local arrests, she voiced deep frustration over whether Canadian legal proceedings will truly help her daughter, who faces potential life imprisonment overseas.
“These people are being punished for a crime they’ve committed here, but they’re not being punished for a crime of recruiting my daughter, of trafficking my daughter, of using my daughter as a drug mule,” Naderia told CTV News Kitchener on Tuesday.
Naderia’s daughter is scheduled for a Hong Kong court appearance later this month.
Second local arrest
The mother’s statement comes as Cameron DeSousa, 20, of Cambridge, Ont., was arrested on Aug. 13 by Waterloo Regional Police. He faces charges of exporting a schedule I substance and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.
DeSousa—whom CTV News’ investigative unit W5 identified as Jade’s alleged recruiter—is expected to appear in a Kitchener courtroom Wednesday morning.
When previously confronted by CTV News’ W5, DeSousa denied knowingly participating in drug trafficking:
“I thought it was jewelry... I promise I thought it was jewelry. I don’t know, I am literally just a sales rep.”
Jade knew DeSousa through a mutual friend, according to her mother.
“I am sure that Cameron is now understanding his errors and his mistakes and what he has done. Whether he knew or not, I don’t know,” Naderia said on Tuesday.
How the recruitment scheme unfolded
According to W5’s reporting, the international investigation was sparked in September 2025, when Hong Kong International Airport customs agents uncovered 25 kilograms of cocaine inside Jade’s checked luggage.
Jade was one of four young Canadians arrested over a four-month period, carrying a combined total of nearly 100 kilograms of cocaine. The couriers travelled on separate flights and claimed not to know each other.
Naderia said that Jade genuinely believed she had taken a legitimate remote job when she was recruited online.
Jade said she answered a posting for an “international package shipper,” which she thought was a legitimate job. Her recruiter texted, “We pay your flights, accommodation, food.” The salary was $5,000 per trip.
“She believed that it’s a legit job and she accepted the job and instructions were given to her... not knowing that she was being recruited, being trafficked as a drug mule,” Naderia said.
High demand for cocaine in Hong Kong
Police believe the operation was tied to a larger network targeting wealthy buyers in Hong Kong, where cocaine sells for roughly $200 a gram—more than double Canadian prices.
In June, Waterloo Regional Police arrested Alexander Kwan, 36, of Markham, Ont., alleging he acted as the driver for the couriers. Kwan was charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession for the purpose of exportation.
One of the other drug mules was 20-year-old Ahmed Dakhi, a resident of Kitchener, Ont., who was named as a local ringleader who had direct contact with the leader, who went by the name “Dot.” When questioned by W5, he said: “I didn’t recruit anybody.”
Under Hong Kong law, drug penalties are severe. Unless the accused Canadians can prove they had no knowledge of the contraband, they face potential life sentences.
For Naderia, the primary mission remains unchanged: bringing her daughter home.
“I know it’s not just my child. There are other innocent ones that got recruited, just like Jade,” she said.
