Category: Letters

Don’t play with your life

I got arrested for drug trafficking and I have been on remand for over two years now. I am very grateful for this opportunity to share my story, hoping my experience will reach young people and change their way of life and not attempt drug trafficking or drug use.

I grew up in a low-income family. I have five siblings with me being the youngest. We rarely talked and I didn’t want to listen to my parents. When I was in school, I was very naughty. I would call the school to report myself sick and then go hang out in Internet cafes, arcades, or pool halls.

I met some friends during this period, and eventually joined a gang. We did a lot of illegal things. Our gang boss would take us around to hang out and play. 

Continue reading Don’t play with your life

My future is doomed

I would like to take this opportunity to persuade you all DO NOT engage in any drug trafficking activities! Let me first introduce my background. I was arrested due to drug trafficking, and I am currently under custody at Tai Lam Correctional Institution.

Because of some family issues, I mixed with the wrong crowd. They lured me into drug trafficking with money, which put me in jail for years at this young age. I was so nervous during those days when I transported drugs for them. Despite knowing that I would definitely be sent to jail if I was caught I thought I would be lucky enough not to get caught by the police.

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Victim of an elaborate mafia scheme

This is the story of how I came to be in custody by Hong Kong’s Customs for being found in possession of dangerous drugs upon my arrival at the Hong Kong International Airport on Saturday, October 6, 2018.

I’m a 64-year-old man from Honduras. I’m a professional in Social Sciences and Social Work with a Master’s degree in Public Health from the National University in Honduras. I’ve dedicated more than 35 years to the management, design, and implementation of social projects for poor families in my country. I did this work through NGOs and in close coordination with governmental programs.

In May 2018 I was contacted by the United Nations and the Central Bank of Nigeria (BCN) about the approval of some funds to work on social programs for the next seven years (2018-2025). The funds would be channeled through the UN which would pay the funds through the Nigerian Central Bank and the latter through the HSBC bank in Hong Kong. 

Before I traveled to Hong Kong I was informed I would need to go to Sao Paulo Brazil first to sign some documents (certificates of approval). I was sent the money for the journey.

Continue reading Victim of an elaborate mafia scheme

The delivery that brought me to my knees

I was arrested by Hong Kong Customs for trafficking dangerous drugs. I have been living with guilt and regret for months. I don’t know how to handle this inner struggle. My worries for my family have not stopped since my arrest. I regret choosing the wrong path to earn money.

Some time ago my father was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and he recovered after having surgery. However, about a year ago, my father started to notice his health deteriorating, and it seemed that his cancer had come back. At about this time, I had plans to marry my girlfriend whom I had been dating for five years. We have been through a lot of difficulties together. She was always by my side when I was having financial hardships. She also took care of me when I got injured due to work. She was 29 years old and I wanted to marry her and build a family together before she turned 30.

Continue reading The delivery that brought me to my knees

Russian roulette

I’m a woman, a Russian citizen. I want to share with you the tragic story of my life. I’m now in custody in Hong Kong, awaiting my sentence.

In or about autumn 2016, a good friend told me about her boyfriend who was at the time in Brazil working and would soon return to Russia. Not long later, after her boyfriend returned, I asked him for details of the job he was doing while in Brazil. He told me he did nothing serious, he had been sent to Brazil to pick up a suitcase and transport it to Asia. My friend then gave me the name of the guy who sent her boyfriend to Brazil. He is from Belarus. 

Continue reading Russian roulette

Drug trafficking is never a good choice

I met a friend a long time ago when I was working in Malaysia. We worked at the same Thai massage shop. She was always good to me. I borrowed money from her when I had financial difficulties. She would also tell me I needn’t worry about returning her the money quickly. At that time I had borrowed a total of 20,000 baht from her. 

Continue reading Drug trafficking is never a good choice

Drugs are not a game worth playing

It happened at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, between 2019 and 2020.

School classes were suspended, so I often went to play soccer. I met a new friend there. We frequently hung out, went drinking, shopping, and played soccer together.

One day, he asked if I could help him to check into a hotel. He said he had a fight with his parents and needed to stay out for a few days. I didn’t think too much of it so I helped him as he was under 18. After we checked into the hotel, he gave me a suitcase and asked me to take it up to the room and leave. I gave him the room key card and left afterward. What happened next, I only learned from watching the police’s CCTV evidence. Continue reading Drugs are not a game worth playing

Ignorance is evil

“The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance.”

I’d like to take this opportunity to warn all Taiwanese people not to blindly believe in what other people say. Be careful who you trust and always verify all the facts yourself. The consequences may be severe, you may have to pay a heavy price, including prison time.

For instance, no matter the crime, if committed overseas, you’ll never have an option to be handed over back to your own country for trial or to serve your sentence. Don’t be fooled! Don’t be greedy, and don’t be tricked into committing a crime. The consequences of being caught for drug trafficking are very serious, some countries even give the death penalty if caught! In some other countries, jail time may range between 10 to over 20 years. Is it really worth it? It would be too late for regrets when the mistake has been made.

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One wrong turn

I am a 28-year-old man, arrested last year around March for drugs found in my car. I was then charged for trafficking dangerous drugs. I have been in custody for more than 10 months now, and my sentencing is scheduled for March 2022.  

I used to drive for a living: delivery vans, dump trucks, and cranes. But a few years ago, I started to become addicted to gambling, putting more and more money into it and going more and more into debt. When the pandemic hit, work opportunities became scarce, and my income along with it. That put the debt-ridden me under a lot of stress. Someone told me to try some drugs, and that was how I went down the wrong path – harming both others and my own future.   Continue reading One wrong turn

No room for trust

I’m an Indonesian woman. I had been staying with a friend in her hotel room because I didn’t have money. I rarely stayed there as I only needed a place to sleep at night.

On Thursday 17 December 2021 at 8 pm, I was waiting for the elevator to go out to get some food because I felt hungry. As soon as I stepped out I was suddenly stopped by the police without any warning.

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Please “Return to sender”

I’m from Malaysia. In November 2019 I traveled to Hong Kong to attend a direct-sales event. 

While in the city, I befriended a Hong Kong man who was introduced to me by a friend in Malaysia. I had only met this guy twice outside a mall when he asked me to help him collect two packages from the nearby post office.

On November 27 I headed from my hotel in Chungking Mansions to the post office on Middle Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. Continue reading Please “Return to sender”

Drugs lead to a dead end

I am a Hong Kong citizen. I want to share my story about why I am in Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre waiting in custody to get a sentence. 

I hope when you read this letter you take the time to reflect on how important is your life, friends, family, and all the things that freedom offers. And even if you are having some difficulty finding a job or a good way to earn a living in these COVID-19 times, never choose any wrongdoing. Never choose to deal with drugs because certainly, you will end up in jail for a very long and sad time.

Trust me. Being in jail is the worst experience. This is so bad that just in the last ten months I saw how two people preferred to take their lives and finish this sad moment.

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When the System fails a child

I am a 29-year-old Hongkonger, currently held in custody at the Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre under drug trafficking charges. This is my story.

My father is from Hong Kong and my mother is from mainland China. She gave birth to me in Hong Kong while overstaying her visa. They divorced when I was little, and my father now has another family.

Continue reading When the System fails a child