Marching Powder: A True Story of a British Drug Smuggler In a Bolivian Jail
Aug 2011 · The Pan Real Lives Series Book 6 · Pan Macmillan
4.8star
218 reviewsreport
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320
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About this ebook
San Pedro is Bolivia's most notorious prison. Small-time drug smuggler Thomas McFadden found himself on the inside. Marching Powder is the story of how he navigated this dark world of gangs, drugs and corruption to come out on top.
Thomas found himself in a bizarre world, the prison reflecting all that is wrong with South American society. Prisoners have to pay an entrance fee and buy their own cells (the alternative is to sleep outside and die of exposure), prisoners' wives and children often live inside too, high quality cocaine is manufactured and sold from the prison.
Thomas ended up making a living by giving backpackers tours of the prison – he became a fixture on the backpacking circuit and was named in the Lonely Planet guide to Bolivia. When he was told that for a bribe of $5000 his sentence could be overturned, it was the many backpackers who'd passed through who sent him the money. Written by lawyer Rusty Young, Marching Powder – sometimes shocking, sometimes funny – is a riveting story of survival.
Thomas found himself in a bizarre world, the prison reflecting all that is wrong with South American society. Prisoners have to pay an entrance fee and buy their own cells (the alternative is to sleep outside and die of exposure), prisoners' wives and children often live inside too, high quality cocaine is manufactured and sold from the prison.
Thomas ended up making a living by giving backpackers tours of the prison – he became a fixture on the backpacking circuit and was named in the Lonely Planet guide to Bolivia. When he was told that for a bribe of $5000 his sentence could be overturned, it was the many backpackers who'd passed through who sent him the money. Written by lawyer Rusty Young, Marching Powder – sometimes shocking, sometimes funny – is a riveting story of survival.
Ratings and reviews
4.8
218 reviews
Kunle Oyateru
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February 4, 2014
I was cajoled into reading this book by my sister. I don't regret it one bit. It's the first book I had read after a period of not reading much. It was an excellent way for me to get back into reading. Honest and maybe even relatable (though I doubt I can ever fully understand his experience), the story is gripping.
1 person found this review helpful
john ritson
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May 30, 2013
The old version of this true story is wicked . The very best of book when I got told about this book in prison I couldnt put it down its so good . He buys pure coke fir like $0:25 cents a gram .. he has big parties in prison and tgis is where the best cocaine come from it was made in the prison ... if you want to buy a really good book get the first copy.. dont know what second copy is like
2 people found this review helpful
Alistair Russell
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February 25, 2013
Having read this many years ago and loved it I was disappointed second time round. Didn't have the same 'pull' to it this time but still relatively interesting.
2 people found this review helpful
About the author
Rusty Young is an Australian lawyer who met Thomas McFadden on a tour of San Pedro. He was so impressed by him that he stayed there (voluntarily) for three months in order to write his story, Marching Powder. Thomas McFadden is now a free man, living in London.
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