I am currently 25 years old and I have been in remand for over nine months on drug trafficking charges. When I was first arrested, I was very confused. I didn’t know anything about drugs, and I had no idea about the trial process or sentencing details. Learning that I might be sentenced to over twenty years imprisonment for the 1.8 kg of drugs found in the package I picked up left me feeling hopeless.
I grew up in a lower-middle-class family with one older brother. My father worked as a chef, while my mother stayed home to take care of the household. My parents would often argue due to financial issues, and they constantly instilled in us the belief that “money is extremely important, without it we cannot survive.” This made me eager to earn money and alleviate the financial burden on my family. My family was also relatively introverted, and we did not communicate much about personal matters, which led me to develop a more independent personality.