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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Hong Kong police seize 227kg of cocaine in biggest bust of the year

Hong Kong police seized 227 kilograms of suspected cocaine from two industrial units on Friday and made five arrests, in what amounts to the largest haul of the year.

In a separate raid on Friday, 10 kilograms of suspected heroin concealed in cosmetics were seized from a residential flat in Jordan, the Force announced on Sunday.

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Belgium arrests 30 over huge drug trafficking ring

Belgian police on Wednesday detained 30 suspects accused of drug trafficking in an operation that also saw authorities in Spain swoop on a string of locations.

Prosecutors in the port city of Antwerp, a major hub for illicit drugs coming into Europe, said in a statement that police conducted raids at addresses across Belgium.

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European anti-mafia raids target over 100 suspects

Police made dozens of arrests across Europe as part of a “wide-scale” operation against the notorious Italian ‘Ndrangheta mafia, officials said on Wednesday.

In Germany, hundreds of officers carried out raids in five parts of the country, regional prosecutors said in a statement, adding that operations also took place in Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

Thirty people were arrested in Germany alone as dozens of apartments, houses and offices were searched.

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None arrested as customs seize HK$28.5m worth of ‘ice’ drug in thermoforming machine

Customs seized 45 kg of the drug “ice” worth about HK$28.5 million in a thermoforming machine arriving from Mexico on Sunday but had yet to arrest anyone connected to the case.

In the early hours of Sunday (Apr 16), customs officers inspected air cargo, declared to be a thermoforming machine weighing 340 kg, which would be further flown to Australia after transiting in Hong Kong.

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Three Hongkongers arrested in Macau for trafficking HK$100,000 worth of drugs

Three Hongkongers, including two youngsters aged 17 and 19, were arrested in Macau over a drug trafficking case in which about HK$100,000 of drugs were seized by police there.

Macau police first targeted and arrested one of the teenagers in New Port on Wednesday night. Officers later seized 32.6 g of ketamine, 3.3 g of “ice” drug, 7.3 g of cocaine, and 3.8 g of an unknown powder in the teen’s hotel room.

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Woman arriving from Africa caught keeping 67 cocaine pills inside body and arrested

A 35-year-old woman arriving in Hong Kong from Africa was arrested by customs on Sunday for smuggling 67 cocaine pills weighing about 1 kg inside her body.

The woman flew to the SAR from Nairobi, Kenya via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

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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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Man arrested for HK$4 million cocaine manufacturing and trafficking in Tin Shui Wai

Police announced on Sunday that a drug manufacturing workshop was smashed in Tin Shui Wai with 4.3 kilograms of cocaine seized and a 34-year-old arrested.

The arrestee, surnamed Lai, was unemployed and intercepted by officers during an anti-narcotics operation last Friday.

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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

Year’s biggest drug bust nets HK$100m cocaine with one suspect arrested

Police on Tuesday cracked the city’s largest cocaine trafficking case this year, seizing more than 164 kilograms of drugs with a market value of HK$136 million and arresting a man in Fanling.

The 45-year-old arrestee surnamed Fan was unemployed and intercepted by officers during an anti-narcotics operation.

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