I’m a 23-year-old Brazilian. I’ve always been dedicated to doing my job and to furthering my studies. I come from a simple, honest, Christian family.
When I was fifteen years old, I entered the world of drugs through the influence of false friendships and my curiosity. That’s when I started using cannabis. I confess that at first, I didn’t have much trouble, but my life turned upsideown when I started to use cocaine in 2019. Since that moment, my life has been full of pressure. I disliked my life; it was a terrible nightmare. I began working only to buy drugs. I was unable to stop myself from taking drugs, the cravings controlled me.
Many times I needed my family’s support to pay for the drugs. My mother tried to help me pay the debts for me because she was afraid that if I didn’t pay, I would get killed. My mother helped me several times, trying her best to protect me from taking drugs, but I never listened to my mom. And I made another debt afterward: my mother helped me to pay once again.
I lost most things in my life. My girlfriend left me because I had too many problems due to drugs. After that, I was terminated from my job. I didn’t have the strength to work. I was very thin and weak, my appearance was horrible, and I wouldn’t have the ability to work at all.
I lost most things in my life. My girlfriend left me because I had too many problems due to drugs. After that, I was terminated from my job. I didn’t have the strength to work. I was very thin and weak, my appearance was horrible, and I wouldn’t have the ability to work at all. There were also many times that I left my house and stayed on the street for weeks on end. I had an unclear mind about what I was doing, and I was just taking drugs during that time. At that time, I was with those wrong people, staying on the street, and even someone who wanted to kill me, but I wouldn’t know because of the drug’s effects.
In the year of 2023, I had another debt which I could not afford to pay. Because of my violent behavior, my mom kicked me out of the house. I slept on the street, I was afraid, feeling hungry, and very thirsty, and my body kept shaking as if it was freezing at that time. After a while, I went back home. The people I owed money to came to ask me for the payment. If I didn’t cover the missing sum, they said they would kill me. So I had no choice, I had to pay them to save my life. They told me I was to bring drugs to London, England and If I didn’t accept, I would die.
Then they sent me to Sao Paulo. I stayed there for about one month.
During this period, I was threatened repeatedly that if I told anything about what they were doing in the business and informed the police, I would be in trouble. But a week before my flight to England, they suddenly changed my airline ticket to Hong Kong. I told them I didn’t want to do this, but they didn’t listen to me. I was an easy victim for them.
So I’m currently staying at a correctional institution in Hong Kong. Those of us who are prisoners can only rely on letters to keep communication with our loved ones. I am very sad because I only have 10 minutes to make a long-distance call to my family, once a month. I feel so far away from my country, that my soul is painful and hurt. Our family can’t visit us because of the great distance.
I would do anything now to be with my mother, and my family, living in freedom. Yet right now that is just not possible.
So I wish to alert those who are thinking of trying their luck bringing drugs to other countries: you’ll pay a very high penalty, and you’ll be losing everything, including your life and family. I would do anything now to be with my mother, and my family, living in freedom. Yet right now that is just not possible.
I feel very sad here day by day, doing the same thing. Here, those who got rescued, after being released, come back again, in a non-stop cycle. I just want to say that drugs are not worth your life. It’s hard to stay alive here with your soul alive, you will have to pay more than you get.
I hope God can save each of you. I hope everyone here would worship our God and not get involved in any criminal cases in your life, to have a happy life with a healthy soul.
God bless.
Note: This letter was translated by the author from the original in Portuguese. Our team has made grammar corrections and edits to align with the original.
