"When Thomas McFadden was arrested trying to smuggle five kilos of cocaine out of Bolivia, he was flung into the infamous San Pedro prison. A bemused Englishman abroad, Thomas was astonished to discover that corrupt politicians adn major-league drug smugglers lived in luxury apartments in one wing, while the poorer sections of the prison were too dangerous to enter after dark. Prisoners had to pay for everything: their cells, their food and clothing, not to mention the many bribes required by the police. To survive in San Pedro you needed an income - and so prisoners turned to the trrade they knew best: manufacturing cocaine ... Thomas survived numerous attempts on his life ...

After spells of drug dealing, shopkeeping and even taking up the position of Mormon pastor, he hit upon the idea of giving guided tours of the prison. He became legendary on the South American backpacking circuit. But behind the show he put on, Thomas was all too aware of a much darker reality, where brutality and death were common currency, and sometimes even the strongest didn't survive"--Publisher's description.