Tag: cocaine

Completely blinded by cocaine addiction

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.

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Five little angels

I’m a 25-year-old Brazilian with five children, currently living through a challenging time. I arrived in Hong Kong on May 8, 2023, and was immediately arrested. I’ve now been in prison for a year, spending holidays and family birthdays in this alien environment. Let me share a bit of my backstory.

I was born in Diadema, São Paulo, a place I scarcely know. At the age of four, my parents separated due to my father’s infidelities. Shortly after, my paternal grandparents moved to the countryside, and my mother distanced herself from me, blaming me for their separation. My father disappeared. Consequently, I moved in with my grandparents in the countryside.

As a child, I cried myself sick, yearning for the love of those who were supposed to care for me from my first breath.

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Drug courier’s addiction spirals out of control

Allow me to introduce myself. I was arrested on October 25, 2022, and have been in custody for 17 months. I face two charges of trafficking dangerous drugs on two separate occasions. I pleaded guilty in November and will be sentenced on June 27, 2024.

To be candid, my history with drug abuse only began around 2020. Compared to others who have been using drugs for 10 years or more, I’m relatively new to this. Regrettably, during the most difficult period of my life, my consumption may have been higher than others because I had easy access to large quantities of drugs as a wholesaler in the drug supply chain. There was a time when I consumed over 30g of cocaine in a single day, and periods when I didn’t return home, leaving behind my wife and our three-year-old daughter.

Looking back, I deeply regret my actions.

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Gambled freedom for gambling debt

I was arrested for drug trafficking, a case involving three types of drugs. Although I’m not a drug user, you might ask, why did I get involved in this?

Previously, I worked at a finance company, answering phone calls. The job provided decent commissions, but it led to a gambling addiction. Eventually, I lost all my money and accumulated significant gambling debts. My family, using all their savings, helped me pay off these debts and loans.

My 72-year-old father is retired, dealing with a chronic illness that requires medication and regular check-ups. My mother, a 68-year-old housewife, works part-time as a cleaner. My older brother is a restaurant chef, and my sister works as a salesperson at a clothing store. We’re not wealthy, and while my family didn’t rush me to repay them, my guilt pushed me down the wrong path.

Eventually, I lost all my money and accumulated significant gambling debts. My family, using all their savings, helped me pay off these debts and loans.

A friend of a colleague heard about my desperate need for money – the rest, as they say, is history.

I’ve been in remand for about two and a half years for this first offense. I’ve noticed that many here have lost friends, family, jobs, and most importantly, their health due to drug addiction. Hence, I encourage them to quit drugs when they’re released, and I intend to spread this message when I’m released as well.

Note: This story was originally written in Chinese. It has been translated and edited to improve legibility. Switch language to read the original. 

Out of the shadows, came light

I am 56 years old, and currently detained at a maximum-security prison in Hong Kong.

Coming from a poor family of seven, we lived in temporary housing and resettlement areas. In the late 1960s, the social environment was quite challenging, and I was recruited into a triad organization when I was just 10 years old. At 13, I began using heroin. Influenced considerably by my peers in my youthful naivety, I got involved in various illegal activities such as fighting, theft, and extortion. My drug addiction later led to my exploitation as a drug trafficker and smuggler.

I dropped out of school during junior high though I attended a reputable school, and even became a baptized Christian. Yet, my fixation on drugs overshadowed my interest in studies. The only thing I cared about was getting money to get high.

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Discos, girls and drugs

From a young age, I was separated from my parents, who had migrated from mainland China a few months before my birth. They were preoccupied with work, so when I was six months old, they sent me back to mainland China to be cared for by my aunt. This arrangement lasted until I was three years old and ready to start school in Hong Kong. Before this time, I had rarely seen my parents and we were estranged.

We lived in a tiny room but despite the limited space, we were content. Later, thanks to a fellow villager, my dad secured employment at a seafood shop, and we relocated. We lived on the first floor above the seafood shop.

My parents enjoyed a good relationship then. We weren’t wealthy, but we had enough for our needs, and life was pleasant. After a couple of years, they managed to buy our very own flat. My father started a successful business in the seafood industry and even opened a processing factory across the border.

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Ignorant, but not innocent

I am a 26-year-old half-Pakistani charged with trafficking, involving approximately 90 grams of cocaine found in my residence during a police raid on May 1, 2022.

I grew up in a broken family. My parents divorced when I was four years old, leaving me to grow up with my mother, a single parent. Later, my stepfather frequently subjected me to physical abuse. One time, my injuries were so severe that my school called an ambulance, which took me to the hospital. This incident alerted the authorities, and my stepfather was subsequently taken to court on charges of domestic violence.

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Woman from Brazil concealed 1.5kg of liquid cocaine inside body

March 24, 2024 — Hong Kong Customs detected a dangerous drugs internal concealment case involving an incoming passenger at Hong Kong International Airport and seized about 1.5 kilograms of suspected liquid cocaine with an estimated market value of about $1.5 million.

A female passenger, aged 52, arrived in Hong Kong from Sao Paulo, Brazil, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, yesterday. During customs clearance, Customs officers suspected that the passenger had dangerous drugs concealed inside her body cavity. She was then escorted to the hospital for examination.

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When your life is past due

I am a 29 years old woman from South Africa. In 2022 I was arrested at the Hong Kong International Airport for trafficking dangerous drug. I am a single mother of two boys, aged 11 and 9 years old.

Before my arrest, I had been struggling to support my sons financially. In 2020 I enrolled in a college for a 3-year course. Once admitted I was offered a bursary that only covered my fees, but in order to get it, I needed to achieve a certain percentage in my exams. Unfortunately I struggled to maintain the grades, and in 2022 my performance dropped. The bursary stopped paying for my fees, but I continued studying without paying and I managed to qualify to write my final-year exams.

Being arrested is the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I am emotionally drained, I just live because there is nothing else to do.

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An experience that will never be forgotten

Let me first introduce myself. I am a Brazilian man, originally from the state of Belém do Pará. I am 36 years old, married, and have a son. To begin, I will talk a little about my life before everything that I am experiencing today – my life before was simple and lovely.

I have always worked honestly, I have always liked to work hard to achieve my goals. I am a personal trainer and have always worked in the bodybuilding area. I worked in various gyms in different states. I even got to train celebrities and became known in the social circle for the good work in my professional history. I have always been a dedicated person in everything I do. I am a humble person, I come from a humble family. I have a wonderful family. I am greatly thankful to my parents for the education they gave me throughout my life. I learned to respect others in the same way I wished to be respected.

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For my baby boy’s sake

My parents divorced when I was three years old, and I lived with my father, grandmother and my two brothers, who are about ten years older than me. My father worked diligently each day to provide for us, often leaving early in the morning and returning late at night. Consequently, the responsibility of my care fell on my grandmother with the help of my brothers.

I should have been grateful that I had three meals a day and a roof over my head. Why should I expect my father and grandmother to pay attention to my emotional needs?

I only reached elementary school level of education as my family couldn’t provide a suitable environment for my learning. Everyone only focused on making ends meet. To ease the financial strain on our family, I desired to start working early. This led to a loss of interest in studying, as I perceived earning money to be more valuable.

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Woman arrested for hiding HK$770,000 worth of cocaine in body

A 55-year-old woman was arrested at the airport on Friday as customs detected a drug trafficking case and seized about HK$2.2 million worth of cocaine weighing 2 kg.

A 30-year-old woman who arrived in Hong Kong from the Democratic Republic of the Congo was arrested after she was found to have cocaine concealed in her body by Customs.

The woman was intercepted during customs clearance at Hong Kong International Airport after she flew to the city from the Democratic Republic of the Congo via Ethiopia last Friday (Oct 27).

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Woman arrested for smuggling in HK$600k worth of drugs within body

Customs announced on Friday that they busted a drug trafficking case on October 25 (Wed) and seized about 570 grams of suspected cocaine with an estimated market value of about HK$600,000.

A 53-year-old female passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Bogata, Colombia, via Paris, France, on Wednesday (Oct 25).

During customs clearance, customs officers found her suspicious and suspected that she may have had drugs concealed inside her body. She was escorted to the hospital for an examination.

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Woman to stand in court for allegedly trafficking HK$1.4m worth of cocaine in her body

A 33-year-old woman will appear at the West Kowloon Court tomorrow (Wed) after she was arrested at the airport for trafficking in HK$1.4 million worth of cocaine inside her body.

Customs said the woman arrived in Hong Kong on Sunday from Johannesburg, South Africa, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“During customs clearance, officers found her to be suspicious and suspected that she had dangerous drugs concealed inside her body cavity. She was then escorted to the hospital for examination,” customs said.

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Man arriving from Brazil arrested after customs seize HK$3.2m worth of cocaine

A 59-year-old man arriving from Brazil has been arrested after customs seized about 3 kg of suspected cocaine with an estimated market value of HK$3.2 million at the airport.

Customs said the man arrived in Hong Kong from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, via Sao Paulo, Brazil and Doha, Qatar on Thursday.

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