Tag: Hong Kong

The glass between us

When I was 25 years old, I was arrested for trafficking and remanded. Now I’m 28.

From my childhood, I was taken care of by my paternal grandmother, and I can say that we were a happy family. Once, my mother and paternal grandmother had an argument, and we moved out of her home. We lived temporarily with my maternal grandmother for two and a half years.

When I was nine years old, my dad needed to work in New Zealand, and my mum had to run a shop on the mainland. They left me and my younger brother with my maternal grandmother. At that time, she had to take a part-time job to support us. She was often tired when she came home, and many times, I took care of my younger brother and learned to behave well. I knew that my parents did not abandon us; they were simply trying to earn money and taught me the importance of it.

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One wrong move

I was arrested for trafficking in dangerous drugs in August 2022 and I have been in prison ever since.

I am a Hong Konger, born in the 1960s, and I am 63 years old this year. I grew up in a poor family of seven, living in an old housing estate with my brother, two sisters, and parents. There was no material wealth at that time, and my parents had very low educational levels. Even so, this did not affect their teachings. They were strict in disciplining us, and we were very obedient. My academic performance was average, and after graduating from Form 5, I started working with my father.

At that time, my father had a hardware foundry, and I worked in the factory from 1980 til 1996. However, the good times did not last forever, as many factories moved production to mainland China due to economic shifts, business slowed down. I took up a job as a waiter in a karaoke bar to make ends meet.

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A very costly favor

I am 35 years old and currently in prison. I was arrested in 2023 and have been incarcerated for 23 months. I am involved in a case of trafficking dangerous drugs and a case of possession of Class A drugs.

I was born into a typical family of four, with a father, mother, and an older sister. I am the youngest, and no one in my family has ever used drugs; I also do not have a habit of using drugs and have never been in contact with them.

In 2015, I gave birth to a son. After his birth, I took care of him myself, looking after him during the day and working part-time at night to earn money. My husband was a transport worker and a gambler, and our relationship was always poor.

When my son  turned one, my husband and I separated and I moved in with friends temporarily because I had no time to work, and I had to apply for government assistance. When my son entered primary school, my parents retired, and household expenses increased, as did the financial burden. I needed find a job to make a living, so I entrusted the care of my son to his father. I was responsible for my parents’ and son’s living expenses, as well as my ex-husband’s.

The day before my arrest, a friend told me that he had a friend who was busy and asked if I could help by taking a bag of things and keeping it at my place until his friend could pick it up. At that time, I didn’t ask what was in the bag, and my friend didn’t mention it, so I agreed to help without suspicion since we had known each other for a while.

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The chains of regret

I am currently incarcerated at Lo Wu Correctional Institution for drug trafficking.

My life has been marked by significant challenges from an early age. My parents divorced when I was just five months old, and I was raised solely by my father, who worked long hours to support us. This meant I spent very little time with him. My mother remarried and started another family, leaving me with little guidance. I lacked supervision and, compared to my peers, became willful and unruly. My father, a traditional man, introduced me to smoking and drinking at just 10 years old.

Seeking warmth and love, I began dating at 11. By 13, I was pregnant and wanted to keep the baby, believing my boyfriend would support me. However, my parents insisted I have an abortion, thinking I was too young to care for a child. This led to my temporary suspension from school, and I never returned after ninth grade.

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A mother’s broken heart

I started using drugs at the age of 13 and have been using them for 17 years. Methamphetamine, primarily. At first, I was influenced by my peers… I was curious and used them for fun. But when things got difficult at home, constant arguments and scoldings, I decided to run away and joined a group of drug users, thus becoming a drug addict.

At first, I didn’t realise the drugs were doing me any harm since I didn’t seem to have any averse reactions to them. I only saw the effect it had on others, symptoms such as sleeplessness, obsessive behaviour, hallucinations, thoughts of self-harm, and losing control of their emotions.

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If only bad people wore a label

I have been struggling to put pen to paper. Even when I started, I kept rewriting it and it took me a long time to finish it.

I am 28 years old and was born in Hong Kong. I grew up in a broken family. My parents divorced when I was three years old, and I have an older sister and brother. My mother emigrated abroad over 20 years ago, and there are no relatives from my father’s side here. My siblings are much older than me and left home earlier on rather than endure the discordant atmosphere of our home. In addition, my father had to work outside for a long time to support the family, this meant that I was pretty much on my own during my formative years. My father is a serious and traditional person. He made it clear when I was young that I had to “leave home at 18,” so I was deprived of the opportunity to attend university at an early age, and I left home without a solid financial foundation.

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Daddy, why are you behind that glass?

I come from a single-parent family. My father passed away when I was 20 years old, leaving my mother and younger sister dependent on me.

My mother is not from Hong Kong; she came to take care of us on a two-way permit. We relied on social assistance to survive. At that time, my father was suffering from stomach cancer, and my mother had to care for him every day, making our lives very difficult. This situation led me to become very rebellious, and I fell in with the wrong crowd, embarking on a path of no return.

“Just give it a try; don’t worry, you won’t get addicted.” I tried it. After that first hit, I wanted to continue, and I couldn’t stop.

Those so-called friends offered me drugs, leading me deeper into addiction. I started using methamphetamine,. I still clearly remember their words when they first encouraged me to try it: “Just give it a try; don’t worry, you won’t get addicted.” I tried it once. After that first hit, I wanted to continue, and I couldn’t stop.

In the following days, I kept using meth, but using drugs requires money. Where would my money come from? I had to steal, rob, and deceive! I would snatch phones, grab handbags, and steal money from my friends just to buy drugs. Eventually, I met some people with triad backgrounds and entered the underworld, following a boss. The drug circles I was exposed to grew larger and larger. Initially, a small amount of drugs was enough, but gradually I began to use larger quantities and a broader variety, including ketamine, cocaine, meth, and marijuana. The money I earned increased, and it became easier to obtain.

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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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Hope from within a dark iron cage

I want to share my journey. Previously, despite being in my prime, I felt trapped by various issues, as if being in a dark cage. These stemmed from my violent and misunderstood family background. Reflecting on my past, I see that nearly half my life was spent in a state of lost freedom.

I was born into a typical family. My father was a construction worker, and my mother was a busy retail salesperson. They were often preoccupied with work, so from the age of 12, I had to learn to fend for myself. However, a single phone call dramatically changed my life forever.

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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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Who will care for my father now?

I’m thankful for the opportunity to share the suffering I’m currently facing. This is about my case and story.

My mother committed suicide in 2012 when I was 10 years old, and since then my father began having emotional problems. Previous to that, my father had a severe accident at work that left him disabled. This limited his mobility, and the household expenses became a huge burden to him. I felt immense pressure and felt I needed to grow up quickly to start working and help support the family.

So, when I was 16 years old, I dropped out of school, only completing up to Form 4. I’d been working as a kitchen assistant ever since, trying to earn money to contribute to my disabled father’s care. This has been my daily routine.

When I was 21 years old, I met a friend at a bar. He asked me to help deliver an item to someone, and that he would cover my travel expenses for the favor. At first, I refused because he wouldn’t tell me what the item was. But given my family’s situation, with a disabled father to support, and the financial temptation, I reluctantly agreed. I didn’t know it was drugs until the night of September 7, 2023, when I received the item from a man. I had no intention of using the drugs myself. However, I was immediately arrested that same night.

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Pile of debt to pillar of strength

To start my story, I’ll share my family’s initial reaction upon learning I was in jail. I couldn’t face them, especially my wife and daughter. When my parents came to visit me, they burst into tears. Before this, I rarely kept in touch with them due to my gambling addiction. My debtors had harassed them multiple times, so I chose to stay away from them. Nevertheless, they spent three hours commuting every day just to visit me. Our relationship has become closer because of this experience.

Initially, my parents scolded me for committing such a crime. They did so because they love and care for me. During the first month of their visit, my mom cried every time. I regret making an unwise choice that hurt them.

My wife and daughter were devastated by the news of my imprisonment. At first, my wife refused to accept the fact and it took her a month before she visited me. Each time she came, she collapsed and cried at the sight of me.

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Radio silence

I’ve been in remand since March 28, 2022, nearly two years now. My case involves myself and another defendant, a high school classmate. We face four charges, including “trafficking in dangerous drugs,” with the case involving 1.5 kg of heroin.

I intend to plead guilty. Someone informed the police about the mastermind behind this case earlier. The police first approached me in mid-October, but they didn’t take a statement then. They asked me to provide substantial evidence and information to aid their investigation. I later sent a letter to the police on November 13 and another to the Department of Justice on November 16, requesting to give my statement. The police visited me and took my statement on November 23. They mentioned that my “boss” had implicated me. My boss was arrested in mid-October 2023 in connection with another drug trafficking case and is currently in detention. There were news reports concerning my case between March 22 and 27, 2022.

The incident occurred on March 22 to the 26 at a luxury hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui East. On the same day, the police identified another male and female suspect. Out of fear that this man might harm my family, I told the police at the station he was my friend. On that day, this man hired a prominent lawyer to accompany me during my statement. My statement simply read, “I have nothing to say.”

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