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
219 reviewsreport
Ebook
320
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About this ebook
'All the staples of the prison memoir are here: sadistic guards and attempted break-out, the terrors of solitary confinement, the joys of freedom . . . The result is a truly gripping piece of testimony'
Sunday Telegraph
A darkly comic, sometimes shocking account of life in San Pedro, the world's most bizarre prison, through the eyes of one bemused Englishman.
When Thomas McFadden was arrested trying to smuggle five kilos of cocaine out of Bolivia, he was flung into San Pedro prison - the strangest penitentiary system in the world. Thomas was astonished to discover that corrupt politicians and 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 their 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 trade they knew best: manufacturing cocaine. Even the prison cat was addicted to crack.
Initially mistaken for a hated American, Thomas survived numerous attempts on his life as he tried to adjust. In Marching Powder he describes his journey from despised gringo to San Pedro's most famous inmate. After trying drug dealing, shopkeeping and becoming a Mormon pastor, he hit upon the idea of giving guided tours of the prison. Thomas became legendary on the South American backpacking circuit - which is how he met young lawyer Rusty Young. Rusty was so impressed by him that he moved into the prison for three months to write his story - discovering that behind the show Thomas put on was a much darker reality, where brutality and death were common currency, and sometimes even the strongest didn't survive.
Sunday Telegraph
A darkly comic, sometimes shocking account of life in San Pedro, the world's most bizarre prison, through the eyes of one bemused Englishman.
When Thomas McFadden was arrested trying to smuggle five kilos of cocaine out of Bolivia, he was flung into San Pedro prison - the strangest penitentiary system in the world. Thomas was astonished to discover that corrupt politicians and 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 their 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 trade they knew best: manufacturing cocaine. Even the prison cat was addicted to crack.
Initially mistaken for a hated American, Thomas survived numerous attempts on his life as he tried to adjust. In Marching Powder he describes his journey from despised gringo to San Pedro's most famous inmate. After trying drug dealing, shopkeeping and becoming a Mormon pastor, he hit upon the idea of giving guided tours of the prison. Thomas became legendary on the South American backpacking circuit - which is how he met young lawyer Rusty Young. Rusty was so impressed by him that he moved into the prison for three months to write his story - discovering that behind the show Thomas put on was a much darker reality, where brutality and death were common currency, and sometimes even the strongest didn't survive.
Ratings and reviews
4.8
219 reviews
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
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
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
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 and living in Africa.
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