Banged up Abroad

banged up abroad
colombia (4/4)

Concluding tonight is the drama-documentary series that tells the gripping real-life stories of travellers who find themselves detained overseas. In the last programme of the series, American martial-arts teacher and bike enthusiast Glen Heggstad recounts his experience of being kidnapped by rebels in the jungles of Colombia.

In October 2001, Glen Heggstad of Palm Springs, California, set out on a road trip he would never forget. Bored by the predictability of his life, he decided to seek adventure by riding a motorcycle to the tip of South America. Glen began by making steady progress through Central America, before catching a plane to the Colombian capital, Bogotá, to continue his journey.

Glen was aware that parts of Colombia – then regarded the “kidnap capital of the world” – were no-go areas under the control of rebels and drug smugglers. He sought advice from locals before undertaking a “road test” in the northwestern part of the country. Soon after leaving Bogotá, Glen was struck by the emptiness of his surroundings. “There’s no people, there’s no traffic, there’s really nothing out there and that starts to get spooky,” Glen says, recounting his story on camera.

banged up abroad
nepal (3/4)

Continuing tonight is the drama-documentary series that tells the gripping real-life stories of young travellers who find themselves incarcerated overseas. This programme focuses on the story of journalist and former magazine editor Piers Hernu, whose thirst for adventure landed him in a Nepalese jail for gold-smuggling.

In 1992 Piers Hernu was living the fast-paced and wealthy lifestyle of a city trader. The money was good, but the stress sent Piers into a year-long bout of clinical depression. Piers decided to go travelling around South-East Asia, and tasted the escapism he wanted. “It had all the elements of a sort of dream-like existence for a young man who wanted to get stuck into a few adventures,” says Piers. “And that’s what I ended up doing.”

After six months, Piers arrived in Hong Kong to find work. He became friends with Oz, an Australian who was staying in the hostel, and Rhett, a loud, brash American who said that he supplemented his own income with a little goldsmuggling into Nepal and wondered if they wanted in. It paid well, but sounded risky.

banged up abroad
peru (2/4)
22.00–23.05

Continuing tonight is the four-part drama documentary series that tells the gripping real-life stories of young travellers who find themselves incarcerated overseas. This programme focuses on two American teenagers who were sentenced to ten years in a Peruvian prison after being caught attempting to smuggle cocaine back into the US.

Krista Barnes and Jennifer Davies worked together as hostesses on the Hollywood nightclub scene, where late nights, celebrity friends and fun were all in a day’s work. “We were living a pretty nice lifestyle,” says Krista. When Jose, an old friend of Krista’s asked the two girls to move into his swanky beachside house with him, they quickly agreed.

Soon afterwards, two of Jose’s Peruvian friends, Angelo and Lucio, asked to speak to Jennifer and Krista. They offered the girls a fun-filled, all-expenses paid trip to the beautiful country of Peru, on the condition that they carry “a little bit of cocaine” with their luggage. The girls were assured that the drugs would be sewn into the seams of their bags so that they would be untraceable.

banged up abroad
venezuela (1/4)
22.00–23.05

Returning tonight for a second run is this four-part drama-documentary series telling the gripping real-life stories of young travellers who find themselves incarcerated overseas. The series begins with the cautionary tale of Leicester teenagers Jim and Paul, who spent four and a half years in Venezuela’s notorious penal system after attempting to smuggle cocaine.

In 1996, friends James and Paul were bored of life in Leicester and desperate for something exciting to happen. “I wanted a challenge; I wanted some adventure,” remembers Paul. “I wanted to go and see a bit of the world.” When they bumped into an old friend who had apparently come by a lot of money, they got their chance. If they wanted what he had, said the friend, he knew a guy who could help them get it.

The friend introduced the pair to a mysterious Russian man who had a proposal for them. If they went to Venezuela to collect a package of drugs for him, he would pay them $8,000 each, put them up in a luxury hotel and give them some spending money. All they had to do was meet their contact, collect the drugs and come back – and everyone at the airport would be paid off, so there would be “no way” they could get caught. James and Paul thought they were on to a sure thing. “We were gullible children,” admits James.

banged up abroad

Coming soon to Five is a new series of four programmes telling the true stories of travellers whose trips to paradise turn into a nightmare when they find themselves locked up in a foreign land.

The first episode recounts the cautionary tale of Jim and Paul, two teenagers from Leicester who thought that an offer to smuggle drugs from Venezuela would lead them to a life of riches and glamour. To begin with, they seem to be on the adventure of a lifetime, enjoying plush hotels and a glamorous lifestyle in Venezuela –paid for by their ‘employers’. But as the time approaches for them to receive the drugs and come home, they worry about the deal they have made.

Although Jim and Paul were assured that the airport authorities had been bribed and there was no threat of being caught, their worst fears are realised when officials discover their vests are packed with huge quantities of cocaine. The two friends are dispatched to one of the most notorious prisons in Venezuela, where they spend the next four and a half years in a living nightmare –pushing them to the brink of insanity.