The Life of an International Cocaine Dealer in an Ecuadorian Jail

The stamps required to enter the prison.

Arriving by taxi at the maximum security jail in Quito, we are given the pat down several time before leaving our passports and getting three stamps on our arms in order to enter the jail. Not quite sure what to expect we are led through 4 locked doors before entering the prison block. There is a bustle of activity with food stalls, small kiosks and many people reaching out to shake our hands. We are led up 4 flights of narrow stairs to a landing. A steel door to the left stands open. The union jack painted meticulously on the door.
I squeeze in a sit down on the bed seeing myself in the mirror opposite. The cell is 1.5 metres wide and 4 metres long, neatly laid tiles cover the walls and the side of the bunk bed in the room. At the end of the bed there is a tiny kitchen/toilet/shower. A fridge whirs in the corner and the large TV blares with the premier league football match. A rather pail looking Englishman in a Chelsea jersey greats us with a smile and a cough.
He begins to tell his story of being caught setting up a shipment of 3 kg of cocaine from Colombia to the UK after a 2 year international surveillance operation by the police in 7 countries. With 2 years down of a 12 year sentence he is surprisingly upbeat about life behind Ecuadorian bars. We soon begin to discover why.
The jail is run somewhat like a small town, with 1400 inmates there is access to anything and everything one may need. There is only one catch, you need money to access it.
Status is achieved based on who you pay, the materials used to rebuild the cell obtained by bribing the head guard. The cells are like real estate. If you have money you can buy more than one cell and rent it out to other inmates on visiting day when they receive female company, weather it be a girls friend, wife or a prostitute. The going rate is around $2.50 per hour.
Since the quality of the prison food is well below average it is a better option to go and eat in one of the many small restaurants or food stands that are run by the inmates. You can get a wide range of things. A plate of chicken, salad and rice with a drink goes for $2.
The prisoners are allowed out of there cells from 9 am to 6 pm, during which time they are free to do what they please, walk around in the courtyard, play pool, smoke, drink, use the Internet (only sometimes using a cell phone connection) or make calls on their cellphones. If they need food or money they just pay someone to go and get it for them with a small markup. There are 450 foreigners in the jails in Ecuador. Most of them on drug smuggling charges.
Life before reaching this status is a different story for even the rich foreign prisoners. Until a cell is available they are kept at a holding facility where there are 180 people locked in a single 50 by 10 m room. One guy from London had been held there for 9 months.
We can quite safely move around the prison because certain people are paid to ensure that all his visitors are treated well.
The stories of drug smuggling involve complex chain of people ranging from informants, mules or carriers, dealers, producers and chemists who work together to make cocaine available on the streets all around the world. Extreme lengths are gone to hide the drugs as other compounds etc. The tone of the conversation leads me to think that after getting out, there is a high chance that he will again dabble in the criminal world that has ruled his life since he was 18. Really makes you wonder...
After 3 hours behind bars I happily show the stamps on my arm to be released again with a new insight into the length people go to and the consequences they suffer in order to be rich...

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