Category: Letters

Finding forgiveness at the cross

I grew up in a Christian family. Although I went to church with my parents, I felt that religious faith was out of reach and untouchable. My mother was a college principal, and my father was a professor. I used to be an obedient child, but as I grew up, I faced many challenges and temptations.

While studying for a Nursing degree at the University of Hong Kong, I developed a heavy dependence on smoking, drinking, and relationships with men. One summer, while partying at a nightclub, I tried drugs and soon became addicted.

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The package that stole my freedom

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.

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Ten years of recklessness

I am a 32-year-old mother of three. I have been on remand for 24 months for trafficking dangerous drugs (methamphetamine), awaiting sentencing.

Family separation

My parents divorced when I was about seven years old. I lived with my grandparents, but I kept a very good relationship with my mom. Although I seldom saw her, I loved her very much. My mother remarried when I was in grade three. She moved to England with her new husband for a while. I pretended like nothing happened when I said goodbye to her at the airport. However, I secretly cried after she left. I remember she sent me a letter with £10 in it for my birthday that year. I cried each time I read through the letter. Six months later, my mom divorced again, returned to Hong Kong and I moved back to live with her. During primary school, I was a top-performing student, consistently ranking in the top ten of my class. In addition to my academic pursuits, I participated in many after-school activities and learned to play musical instruments. Piano lessons were paid for by my grandparents.

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Scapegoat on wheels: 14 years behind bars

I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and found myself wheelchair-bound. My financial situation was dire, and I was desperate for money. An old friend suggested that I deliver drugs and introduced me to a man from India who promised to inform me when he had drugs to deliver. The pay was HK$20,000 to HK$30,000 per run, but I was still unsure whether I should take the job.

One night, my friend called me twice in the early hours of the morning, but I did not answer. When I called him back the next day, he asked if I had anything to do. I told him I had to go to the hospital for an MRI. He then asked me to call him again after my examination, and when I did, he offered me a drug delivery job for HK$50,000. I agreed without thinking twice.

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Easy money, harsh consequences

I’ve been imprisoned for almost a year and I feel much remorse for what I did…for the unwise decisions that brought me to this situation.

Between the time I graduated from high school to the time before I got arrested, I used to hang out regularly with a few close friends from high school once or twice per month. Even during the pandemic, we would still get together.

At the beginning of the pandemic, all businesses went downhill. I was a full-time demolition worker and also worked part-time as an Uber driver. When the Covid-19 outbreak gripped Mainland China, all major delivery services were greatly affected. Many goods could not be delivered to Hong Kong, which greatly affected my income. There was a time when I only had work for ten days in a month, and I got paid on a daily basis when there was a job for me. Even my close friends were in a similar situation thus, they couldn’t really offer me help.

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Path of regret: A mother’s struggle with drug addiction and redemption

I am a 43-year-old woman who grew up in a normal and healthy family with my parents and six siblings. I first encountered drugs when I was around 16 or 17 years old. A schoolmate from a higher grade let me try cocaine for the first time. After graduating from Form 5, I started working as a salesperson and continued to support my drug habit by using my salary to purchase cocaine. I attempted to join a voluntary drug detoxification program twice, but was unsuccessful. I just couldn’t manage to detoxify within only 14 days.

Later on, I met my current husband, who knew about my drug addiction and hoped I could quit. Unfortunately, my addition had a strong grip on me and I was unable to overcome it. We have three children, but I continued to use cocaine. Continue reading Path of regret: A mother’s struggle with drug addiction and redemption

The Jade Exchange

I am writing from a correctional institution, where I am on remand awaiting trial. I’m being charged with “trafficking in dangerous drugs”.

Allow me to share my story.

My accomplice and I were acquainted through an online recruitment ad. We were assigned to travel to Brazil and Kuala Lumpur respectively. Our recruiter first asked my accomplice to pick up a package of jade from Brazil and then travel back to Hong Kong.

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Rollercoaster life

This is my first time writing a letter. Let me introduce myself. 

I have been on remand for one and a half years for drug trafficking. I’ve lost a lot during this time.

I couldn’t face my dad at first and I only agreed to let him visit me a month ago. It has been a roller coaster ride for me but I’ve felt more relieved once I started seeing my dad again although he doesn’t bring me much good news. Bad things keep piling on me. My girlfriend decided to end our relationship, and my grandmother got into an accident that has gotten her paralysed. All of these things happened within the same month.

I blame myself for not being able to do anything at moment. If I were out there, perhaps my grandmother wouldn’t have gotten into that accident. And if I were out there, my girlfriend wouldn’t have left me. I’m very lost with all these questions.

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Deconstructing my future

I hope my story will remind people not to get involved in drug trafficking activities. 

I used to be a construction worker but I lost my job at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. At around the same time, the rest of my family members also lost their jobs. I heard from some friends about a way to earn “quick cash”. In my desperation, I made the wrong and regretful decision to get into drug trafficking. The money did come quickly, but I now know it was not worth it at all. I hurt a lot of people, especially my family, and I also lost my freedom.

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A mother’s gamble

I left Sao Paulo on June 28, 2022, for Hong Kong where I was caught with drugs at the airport. I had never done anything so wrong in my life.

I was motivated to do this because of financial problems. I needed to save my son from a gambling debt. Online games today are where many young people in Brazil surrender to addiction. My son is 21 years old and was working when I found out he owed a lot of money to the online gambling bank. Because of this, my son left town so I was worried. Faced with this problem, an old acquaintance told me that I could earn money doing this job, that it would be quick and easy, so out of desperation I accepted.

I was aware of what I was doing, but I didn’t know the consequences. Continue reading A mother’s gamble

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. 

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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