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.

It is only when the pair are given the chance of day release –on the condition that they return to prison at night –that they make the bold decision to escape.