Frank Kane and his girlfriend, Sam, after their business was failing in the U.K. made the fateful decision to become cocaine drug couriers in Venezuela. Whilst attempting to fly out from the airport on Caribbean Island, Isla de Margarita, the airport authorities stopped and searched them and discovered the smuggled contraband which was a few kilos of locally-sourced cocaine. The story progresses on a downward spiral from here leading us on a gratuitous tour of depravity within the Venezuelan prison system, a place not known for its human rights record and this graphic description of the hell these two lovers face is an arduous journey of disturbing narrative. We meet a host of foreign prisoners and locals and come face to face with some quite unscrupulous prison officers and army soldiers. Initially unable to speak Spanish, Frank picks up the lingo and the book provides a lot of Spanish prison lang and an interesting glossary of jail terminology. Violence and murder is an almost daily occurrence and most prisoners are fully armed with knives, machetes, pistols, rifles, grenades and dynamite and the norm is out and out turf war between jail blocks. It’s hard getting a bed and dodgy dealing whether it be for crack cocaine or a simple cigarette is endemic. The couple are initially lucky to be housed within the same San Antonio Prison on Isla Margarita, where there is a separate female annex. They are visited by the British consul and Frank becomes more politically active in addressing some of the worst liberties taken by the brutal prison authorities. As time wears on Sam and Frank’s relationship and health deteriorate. Ultimately they go their separate ways. Every morning begins with número. The prisoners leave their cells and run the gauntlet of bayonet–toting guards to line up outside and Frank is quick to pick up Spanish language numbers or he’ll get a right beating. Stripped, laid on the ground, it’s a common sight in the prison yard. When the cry of ‘AGUA VERDE’ rings out from the watchmen, it means there’s been an incident and the prison gets stormed by Venezuelan Army soldiers who, in what is termed a raqueta, dish out unrestrained physical weaponised beatings and shootings of all the prisoners. It’s a dog eat dog world and you have to make alliances and watch your back. The title of the book refers to famous French prisoner Henri Charrière aka Papillon. Frank follows in his famous footsteps when he transferred to the remote El Dorado prison in the Venezuelan jungle on the mainland. Here. conditions are even worse and the battle for survival in open prison warfare is very intense. Ultimately Frank serves about 7 years before his release and his grateful repatriation. Despite the dark scenes of the book, there are some great characters in the story and some close friendship bonds are formed. It is a moving, fluent tale of prison literature and to any reader it warns of the dangers of getting into trouble abroad.
