Let me first introduce myself. I am a Brazilian man, originally from the state of Belém do Pará. I am 36 years old, married, and have a son. To begin, I will talk a little about my life before everything that I am experiencing today – my life before was simple and lovely.
I have always worked honestly, I have always liked to work hard to achieve my goals. I am a personal trainer and have always worked in the bodybuilding area. I worked in various gyms in different states. I even got to train celebrities and became known in the social circle for the good work in my professional history. I have always been a dedicated person in everything I do. I am a humble person, I come from a humble family. I have a wonderful family. I am greatly thankful to my parents for the education they gave me throughout my life. I learned to respect others in the same way I wished to be respected.
Before working as a personal trainer, I always accompanied my father in his work. My father is an example of a human being, he is a carpenter, a true professional. It was with him that I learned to value honest and ethical work. I learned to build houses, I learned to do a thousand and one things in the carpentry area.
I have always been humble when it comes to work. But as everyone knows, the economic situation is not always the same year after year. The first shock was the explosion of the pandemic that affected everything. Many lost their loved ones, lost their jobs, many closed their businesses during the quarantine, and many other things were lost. This is when my entire life changed, and how I ended up where I am now.
A “friend” got in touch with me and was desperate to talk to me. He kept calling me constantly until I gave in for a moment and answered him. We agreed to meet, and I went to meet him. But during the conversation, he demanded absolute secrecy about everything he was going to tell me. He said that no one could know what he was going to tell me. He told me that I just had to trust him.
The business involved a lot of money. First off, he told me that I had to travel outside the country. I had to get my passport. He said it was all legal, but I just had to keep it secret until the day of the trip. I found it strange and I refused right away.
I returned home and continued my daily routine.
Last year (the year 2022) work was precarious. I was unemployed but I never spared a thought about the friend who had offered me the job. Since the year the coronavirus pandemic exploded, everything became difficult.
One day, I went to train a friend. On that same day, my older sister went to have a routine check-up and asked our mother to go with her to also have routine check-up. In the afternoon, when they got back, my sister announced to all the siblings that she needed to talk to everyone…
Hanging by a thread
We found out that our mother’s life was hanging by a thread. The news was a shock to all of us. We didn’t know what to do. We were all desperate. The doctor said the tests needed to be done as soon as possible.
We went to the first specialist. And then the bombshell hit. The test would cost the equivalent of buying a motorcycle or a used car. We didn’t know what to do. I am very attached to my mother. I felt helpless, I thought, what am I going to do? Then I had an idea. I’ll call some friends to ask for help or support.
I called many, but many denied me, and even lied to me. Then I put it aside. And now, what do I do? I thought I didn’t have anyone to help me. I was going through my phone contacts, and I saw the name of the guy who had offered me the job, and I sent him a message. I didn’t think twice. He responded quickly. I told him the whole situation, what was happening. He said “first, get your passport, it’s very easy and quick.” It really was easy to get. He also had me do some tests that were required for the overseas trip. In summary, I got all the documents that had to be taken.
In “good” hands
My friend introduced me to a man who would give me all the support I could need. He came with me, and then said: “My work here is done, but don’t worry, you’re in good hands.”
Then, this guy messaged me at all hours. He called me. He said he was preparing all the paperwork for me to travel. But he also didn’t tell me that I would be traveling with someone else. He just said he would prepare everything. And he introduced another person through WhatsApp. A man from Africa. He also gave me the contact of another African, but I never saw him. My conclusion is that the first man is without a doubt a recruiter of people to transport their goods. The second one is undoubtedly part of the gang. They are all part of the same gang.
The best part of the lie he told me was that he was going to come clean with me about what it was all about. Then he told me that I just needed to pick up some money in the other country and bring it back in the suitcase they would give me. I said that was fine.
Change of plans
I went to another city and traveled to São Paulo. I was picked up at the airport and taken to the apartment where I was supposed to stay, in the south zone of São Paulo. I know this because I was looking at the street signs.
On the same day I was picked up, there was a woman with him. But I never thought that the woman who was with him would be traveling with me. It’s a gang that organizes everything to make sure it all goes smoothly.
One day before the trip, the man came with a tale that the plans had changed. I had to do something else. I asked what the other option would be. Then he came up with the story that I had to “bring” drugs to a Chinese city called Hong Kong. I then said no, that I didn’t want to do that. He said I had no choice at all. I would have to do it because I was already there.
At that moment, a whirlwind of thoughts went through my mind. These guys are drug traffickers. I imagined that if I didn’t do what they told me, they might do something to me or my family. That’s when I accepted it. But at no point did I know how I would transport the drugs. I thought it would be in my luggage. But then he came with the cocaine capsules. He said we were going to start ingesting them.
At 8:00 pm that night, to tell you the truth, I was very nervous. He said: you just have to swallow. So I did what I had to do. When it was time to go, he said we had to pretend to be a couple traveling to celebrate a wedding anniversary. Even that is organized by them. So, this is my story from the beginning up to this point.
The people who do this are wrong, but the most wrong one was me for accepting all of this. All I want to do one day is forgive the judge who will judge me. Forgive him for the criminal offense. I’ve never been a delinquent. I’ve never been a criminal. My name is clean in Brazil. I’m a well-known and beloved person wherever I’ve been. I’ve never participated in any gang and have never been part of any criminal group… Today more than ever, I know how life can surprise us overnight. I was deceived and that’s why I’ll have to pay for this injustice and I’ll have to face the consequences for a careless mistake.
And now?
Many people today ask me why I did this. I stay silent. But I have my reasons. All I wanted at the time of the incident was to help my mother and my wife who were also going through serious health issues. Today I will have to bear with the mistake I made. But I believe in the God of the impossible. I have a lot of faith and hope that all of this can be reversed. I can go back to the side of my family, especially to the side of my wife and my beloved son who feels very sad about all this.
Today, in the situation I find myself in, what hurts the most is not being able to tell my mother, my father, and my son that I am in prison. This was a decision made by my siblings, as we know the shock this news could cause. Especially because my mother was very ill and the news that I was in prison could worsen the state of health she was in. My parents to this day think I came to work and they think I’m working in Hong Kong. I don’t know how long my siblings and I will be able to keep this secret, as I said, I am a son very dear to my parents and I know how the news could affect their health.
So we promised to keep it completely secret. The most painful thing is being without seeing them and when I call, I only have ten minutes to talk, my mother and wife cry from missing me, the hardest thing is my wife holding on and enduring all this suffering, telling my mother that I will be back soon. As soon as possible…
Today I am in a prison that is the reception for all people in Hong Kong who are arrested. I have been detained for 16 months. My case is about to be transferred to the High Court. I will possibly be sentenced next year, in June or August 2024. I hope in God that all this can be reversed.
I would not wish prison life on anyone. No human being deserves this. Today, what strengthens me and gives me words of support are my wife and my sister. I seek strength in God every day. Because it is very painful to be away from your loved ones. At the beginning, when everything happened, I was desperate, not knowing what to do. My family found out on the fifth day that I was already detained, and they collapsed emotionally. I got in touch with them after four months.
Every day I cried. I lost a lot of weight. I was just skin and bones. Apart from the seven days I spent in the hospital and 14 days under observation, in the first days in prison, it was very painful and desperate. But with the support and strength of my wife and siblings, I am physically and spiritually well, thank God.
Here, I have made some good friends. There are all kinds of criminals here. But I get along with everyone. I have a legion that follows me. I’m quite well known for teaching physical exercise classes. I’m also known in other prisons as people are being sentenced and some are being transferred. Thank God, I am respected and known for the education my parents gave me during my life.
So that’s it, this is my life, this is the story I’m sharing with you. I hope it serves as a warning to society through this comment.
All I ask of everyone who reads my story is to never trade your freedom for any amount of money. Your life and your freedom are your most precious assets. I am a victim who was deceived by a false job offer, and now I suffer all the consequences. May this be an example for those who think this will never happen to you.
Thanks be to God
I want to thank God for my life and health and second for my family who are fighting with me. More than ever today I know that life can surprise us overnight, today I am writing to say how much God loves us unconditionally, despite the circumstances I find myself in today, I see that my problem is smaller than many people live in this world, if God has placed me here it is because he has saved me from something worse ahead, and has given me a second chance to start a different life and a new beginning that he is preparing for me in the future, I believe and have the possible way, I believe in the one who made heaven and earth.
Sometimes we take one step too many and step wrongly…
Sometimes we promise something we don’t fulfill, but we still promise.
Sometimes we plan something we can’t do, but we plan anyway.
Life teaches us not to infringe on its laws, but we still infringe on them due to the injustice of the social world.
Today where I find myself, I ask God for a lot of strength and wisdom and to fill any emptiness in my heart with love and strength, always my faith and hope so that I can move forward firmly and strongly in the face of all this process that I am experiencing.
My destiny, my promises, and my plans do not belong to me. But rather I must leave everything into the hands of God. Only He can grant us what can and cannot, today I know that everything is in God’s time. One very important thing that I never thought about and did not even come to think about was questioning God, why me? Why is all this happening to me, why am I here? I have never questioned God the why. Sometimes at small meetings I do here, I talk a little about God. Some people ask me, why do you talk about God now that you are in prison?
I always respond: I don’t talk about God because I’m in prison, but rather before all this happened to me, I always communicated with God through prayer.
However, in the circumstances I find myself in today, I lead my life with total patience, the longing to be present with my family is immense, but I have to endure all this and transform this pain and sadness into spiritual strengthening, this is very important to me.
Today I am being held for international drug trafficking, a slip I had in my life of accepting the solutions that the world offers.
The crime I am responding to is very delicate, but it also never crossed my mind to disrespect the authorities of this city where I find myself in any way, and I also never thought of offending this nation, all I want is to apologize to the judge for the incident, apologize for everything and everyone, I hope I will be forgiven, whatever God wants, I have entrusted everything in God’s hands, God is greater, and the God of the impossible.
A message to everyone who has the opportunity to read my story that I am living! Fight in the face of the difficult things in your life, with faith and wisdom, so that one day you can look back and say: “It was difficult, but by the grace of God, I prevailed!”
“The richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least.”
Note: This story was originally written in Portuguese. It has been translated and edited. Switch language to read the original.