Slovenian who survived the Venezuelan prison and became part of a prison gang

Slovenians are not known as a criminal nation – we do not have our own mafia, we rarely find ourselves on the covers for severe crimes. However, world prisons are not without the Slovenian population. Among them is Simon at Home (1977), who, due to an attempt to smuggle cocaine from Venezuela, served more than six years in prison, four of them in one of the most dangerous institutions of Latin America – the infamous Los Teques prison. He wrote the book Gringo Loco, which he published in self -publishing, wrote about the brutal experience We wrote in Sunday.

Unlike many, he does not hide what he did. « I’ve never taken drugs, » he says. “I went into smuggling to return the debt. With $ 8,000, I fell into $ 50,000, I needed an exit. ”Instead of earning and debt solutions, he landed in the hell of a Venezuelan prison system, where prisoners themselves run their daily lives – often with weapons in their hands.

At home, they arrested at Simón Bolívar at Caracas Maiquetíi. “The police officers stopped me before I reached the border control. They were correct, ”he recalls. Almost five pounds of cocaine were found in his suitcase. “It was written that there were more than nine pounds and that the suitcase was pink. Truth? He was black, with pink details and 4.9 pounds inside. « 

After a short period of time at the Macuto investigative prison, where thirty people were placed in the room for twelve people, he was transferred to Los Teques. « When I got there, I realized that the one from Macut had not loaded when he said that I would probably not come alive home. »

Welcome with a bag on the head

The first day in Los Teques was brutal. “They tied my bag upside down and started giving me up until I almost fainted. They all repeted guns, shouting ‘Maricón, Maricón’. It was a bullying. ”Such was the reception of a stranger without a relationship, no money and no language. But he soon began to gain confidence.

« I learned Spanish in about a year, » he says. It was quickly received by members of the prison gang – Luceros. “Maybe because I was not like other foreigners. Most were taking cocaine, I don’t. I was different. ”After a while, he became even a member of the gang. « I was probably the first foreigner to be accepted. »

Los Teques’s imprisonment was de facto under the control of the gang. “The guards had no weapons. But we had M16, AR15, Berette, Glocke, shibs, bombs, ammunition in the mountains. The weapons were brought by guards and soldiers – everything was a matter of trade. ”Life in prison was only possible with money. “I needed $ 50 to $ 60 a week for food, clothing, drinking water, basic things and the payment of gangs.” They sent him money from Slovenia, making money by reselling and working inside the gang. « When anyone died, there was nothing special. »

The brutality of the prison system also witnesses complete indifference at death. “If anyone died, he was taken to a mortuary car. No investigation. There is not something special there. They shoot 36 to 38 people every weekend in Caracas. « 

Despite chaos and violence, he spent his home in this world. “Maybe because I was involved. I was polite. We talked with my hands, I laughed when they laughed. I quickly became ‘Gringo Loco’. It doesn’t mean much, more than I would say ‘brother’ in Slovenia. « 

You can read the full interview Here.