The Cocaine Diaries: A Venezualan Prison Nightmare

by Paul Keany, Jeff Farrell

An unforgettable cocktail of drugs, riots, rape, beatings, murders, and kidnappings—the unbelievable true story of years spent in a South American jail.

It won't happen to me. That’s what I thought when I got on the plane to Venezuela. But it did—I got caught.

Caught smuggling half a million euros' worth of cocaine, Paul Keany was sexually assaulted by Venezuelan antidrugs officers before being sentenced to eight years in the notorious Los Teques prison outside Caracas. There he was plunged into a nightmarish world of coke-fueled killings, gun battles, stabbings, extortion, and forced hunger strikes until finally, just over two years into his sentence, he gained early parole and embarked on a daring escape from South America.

Aided by his extensive prison diaries, Keany reveals the true horror of life inside Los Teques: a shocking underworld behind bars where inmates pay protection money to stay alive, prostitutes do the rounds, and vast amounts of cocaine are smuggled in for cell-block bosses to sell on to prisoners for huge profits. This remarkable story is told by Keany with honesty, courage, and even humor, despite knowing that every day behind bars might have been his last.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Audiobook, Crime, Biography, Memoir, Autobiography

352 pages, Paperback

First published June 7, 2012

Reviews

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished the book this morning and to my surprise I can say I loved it!

Over the last few years I have read a few books about being imprisoned in scary foreign prisons. So far I loved just one book out of the Five books:
Well I am happy to tell you there are now 2 great books about being imprisoned that I can recommend.

The books I have read so far are:

2 stars

1 star

2 stars

1 star

5 stars!

As you can see most books are about people who were imprisoned in Thailand.

Reading this book I think you could better be in jail there than in the Venezuelan prisons.
What a crazy world. I was never bored and always intrigued. How scary it must be having to live there. I love that most of the gringo's stick together and help each other. I recommend this book and if you know other books like this I should read please let me know.

4.3 stars.

----
Update August 03 2016
I've began a list for books like the above. So far I have managed to find 18.

Here is the link if you are interested:

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

[Tatterededges · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was atrocious. I get it, he's a plumber not a writer, but apparently a journalist helped him put it together which is a bit sad. This book needed some serious editing. I really struggled to maintain interest in this and toyed with the idea of not even finishing it many times.

I'm on the fence with this one. There were a few inconsistencies that made me question the books content. When he is first imprisoned and speaks to his daughter on the phone he wrote that it was the last time he would ever speak to her and yet he catches up with her on her birthday at the end so...?!?

I think he recounts the beginning of his time in prison with more clarity and honesty than he does the middle or end. I have no doubt he saw and experienced some truly awful things but everything after arriving at Los Toques just felt watered down.

The end, actually pretty much everything from the first meeting with Vivian seemed rushed. It's like he just wanted to skip to the end or something. On reflection I think he must be the luckiest man alive, ends up in one of the worst prisons in the world and nothing really happens to him except an ear infection and a spider bite and then manages to flee the country, get a new passport and fly home...

[Danial Tanvir · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really liked this book very much,
i actually bought it from a small book shop in bangkok,thailand and i read it one day.
it was a fun read.

it is about a man called paul keany who goes to venezuela and he is carrying a lot of cocaine worth a lot of money and in the start of the journey he thinks that he will not get caught doing so but he did caught doing it and he had seen programs of people getting caught doing this in thailand and other countries etc.
he is finally sent to jail and he is sentenced to 8 years and he does not know what to do,
he has two children and does not know what will become of them.
he goes through hell in the prison with all the bad things that are happening over there.

the rest of the book are just details of the life is the prison.
in the end he wants to escape and then he goes to colombia from there and he then escapes from there to his home in ireland , he does this with great difficulty but he manages to do it but even when he is in ireland , he is scared that he will be caught again and will be sent to prison but in the end he is back home in ireland and the misery is over and that is how the book ends!.


this was another story about how people suffer trying to smuggle drugs!.

this was a great read though!.

[Maria Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I worked in parole and probation for 3 years in Caracas and this book is a pretty accurate description of how prisons and court systems and police (dys)function in Venezuela.
Sorry Mr. Keany has such a generalised negative view of all of us (Venezuelans), but those are his feelings and I think he has written a very honest recount of his experience.
Good job of surviving and getting out Mr. Keany! Congratulations for having produced something positive out of it.
I dont give it five stars just because for me fiction requires a much greater effort than memoirs, this is great within its category.

[Hannah Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I was rating this book based solely on the writing style I'd have to give it 3 stars, but I'm not. The book was honest and created clear mental images. It creates a bond between you and the main character from which you want him to succeed. You learn about a world you wouldn't normally see and it's dark, emotional and fascinating.

It's an easy read & I'd recommend it if you're interested in jail/drug culture.

[David Sherwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really one of the poorer prison diary books. Almost hate to say it really, considering the guy is not a professional author and it really did happen (I guess!) - but it is co-written by a so-called pro too. But there are some parts that really make you go "eh?" - unfortunately I read it a few weeks ago so I can't be more specific, but as I remember I will come back and edit this review. What I can remember are comments like how "his back passage is now damaged probably because he was gang-raped." Awful as that is, anal sex three times is just not going to permanently damage you ass. Seems picky I know, but this is what I mean by "eh?" moments, and there are plenty of them, believe me.

The chap himself, although not dislikeable, isn't particularly likeable either. He gives us very little about himself, apart from he was a plumber from Ireland whose business hit the skids - but doesn't really give us any reason to think that this was his only way out. Just that he was a bit of a dumbass.

And as I mentioned, it was co-written by an actual writer - well you could of fooled me. It sounds like it was written without a writer and just written by himself, it really does.

So, all in all, not particularly impressed. I have read way better true-story prison books - 'Damage Done' and 'Marching Powder' to name a couple. But if you like this sort of thing (I do!) then sure, it is worth a read, just don't expect anything too special.

SIDE NOTE: I am going to start getting into using Goodreads more, especially doing better reviews than this poor excuse of one! I think I will start taking notes as I read from now on.

[Conrad Mason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this book had a great start and a really interesting. Unfortunately it got a bit repetitive and lost its way abit in the middle. Had a good ending. All in all though a great insight into what it would be like to be imprisoned in Venuzeula and the inhumane conditions they are forced to live in

[Emal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly written but I guess little else could be expected from the author. Definitely wouldn't recommend to anyone. You learn nothing and everything that was supposed to be shocking was already assumed about the Venezuelan prison system.

[Conrad Charlton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nasty bloke, poorly written, grim story. Full disclosure I stopped just after halfway as it wasn’t getting any better.

[Ceeceereads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really gripped to this book at first but it lost my attention after a while. I was interested to read this after reading books such as It’s Snowing in Bali and Bad Trips. This is a true life Banged Up Abroad but sadly it didn’t hold my attention as I’m sure it is a gripping story.

[Erik Surewaard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started to read to book and it immediately reminded me of an episode of “Locked Up Abroad” titled “Venezuela Hustle” I only recently watched:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3117370/

I started to doubt whether to continue reading. What’s the use when you already know what is going to happen. But I decided to read on and see how it compares to the TV episode.

Well... I can tell you this book is way way more interesting than the TV episode! The story was just very great to read! A lot of things happen in the book that were not in the TV episode. After 50 pages or so, you wouldn’t even know there is a TV episode on this prison story.

This is also the third book I read about prison life in Venezuela. From the books I have read so far, I can tell that so far this country has the most extreme prison conditions so far.

This book deserves between four and five stars. In the end, I decided to go for five stars. At some points, I couldn’t stop reading because of the interesting events ongoing. A great story.

[Emma Little fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paul Keany has an intense story to tell. It was very eye opening to learn how Los Teques prison is run as well as the Venezuelan anti drug force. This is a very easy read which I do appreciate at times, but I felt this story could have been told a lot better. As intense as many of the events were I didn’t find the writing style compelling, I found myself reading quickly just to get through it and on to something else. The writing style was a bit too elementary, and way too repetitive for my taste. For example, he says I plan to get out on parole after 18 months around 6 times through the book, as if I kept forgetting. There are quite a few phrases he repeats over and over which ultimately detracted from the book for me.
Over all fine story, easy read, didn’t enjoy the writing style. If it was less repetitive, and had a little less filler in between the more monumental events that took place at Los Teques it could have been a much more compelling read, the kind of read his story deserves.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well easy way out doesn't always do the trick.

I liked it but won't say it's a wonderful book. An eye opener and a good read to know what happens inside corrupted prisons. I suppose this happens in many places in the world.

The writing isn't on the higher end. After all it was written by a plumber who thought his life will end at any given moment. He still manages to tell us what happens to you out there if you're totally out of your mind to agree for a drug smuggle. I wouldn't say it's the best but it definitely is worth reading. Would've loved it more if the blood bath was on a bit of a higher scale.

[Speedstar25 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read! An eye opener for someone who wanted to know more about the jail system in Venezuela. Before reading this book, I didn't even know that such a horrible prison system exists in this part of the world, with prisoners carrying their own arms, and the need to arm themselves to the teeth with weapons such a automatic rifle and grenade launcher.

In conclusion, the Author is able to bring out the details that happened during his stay in the prison and translate it into an exciting book to share with the readers. This is indeed an interesting book worth reading.

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is no Marching Powder. Is that too harsh? What I find most frustrating was the poor level of writing which did little to keep me engaged. I would look up mid-chapter and realise I'd barely understood what I'd just read. It's frustrating because I think this could have been such a terrific story from someone who lived through an incredible - and relatively lucky - experience. It says this was co-written with a journalist but did he just correct the typos? I really wanted so much more insight, cohesiveness and tightly written visual imagery.

[Michal Dufek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is really type of book I love. In the story you are provided with real information. Reading the book you are amused and at the same time you are gaining knowledge. I had to keep myself from the book otherwise i would read it just in one day.

[Caio Malufe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that makes you go “I can’t believe this is real!!!” ... I loved it, and the amazing stories lived by this man are even hard to picture or imagine, and (like mentioned in other reviews) bring a new perspective to be thankful about the lives we have

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read

I really enjoyed this book, it was very well written, obviously some parts were difficult to read due to their nature but still a great account life in a foreign jail. If you enjoyed marching powder, a prayer before dawn or midnight express then this is for you.

[Donald Pryde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, love reading books about foreigners in third world hell hole prisons.

[Demi Noakes · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was interesting but not attention grabbing. I found it hard to keep up with the layout of the prison, which made the story hard to follow with what was going on.

[Lua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lo más triste de todo, es que es cierto todo. Es lamentable lo que se ve en Venezuela.

[Ryan Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have a good sense of humour and a few hours to kill, the narration alone makes this audiobook enjoyable. Quite frankly, it isn't good. The narrator does ALL of the accents, and even his native Irish (I’m assuming) is particularly questionable. And then there's the narrative itself. Written by plumber come drug mule, Paul Keany, you’d expect the writing to be a little ropey, yet this was written with the help of an actual journalist, so Im unsure why it is this bad - but that's not the only thing bad about this book.  At the start, I thought ‘If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime’ which sounds unsympathetic, but Paul's character does little to offer the reader such kindness or understanding. I’ve no sympathy for someone who attempts to ship 6K of narcotics out of one country and into another. And if you’re on foreign soil? Expect a foreign jail. Yes, it probably is a corrupt jail, full of abuse and violence, but what would you expect? The fact that Paul seems like an absolute arse hole makes this all the more enjoyable. Reap what you sow.

Having failed to smuggle 6 kilos of cocaine out of Venezuela, our intrepid drug mule then smuggles coke INTO the Venezuelan jail so he can deal for prison cash. He also brews illicit alcohol, gets into fights, snorts cocaine daily (his words) and befriends a band of fellow criminals, which at times, makes this nightmare prison sound like a holiday camp (this is where the audiobook narration becomes laugh out loud funny). Paul took this drug deal opportunity after having lost his business in Ireland's recession, which, to be fair, sounds awful, but he also mentions taking cocaine recreationally BEFORE his arrest, so I’ve little sympathy there either. As a father of two, he should also have questioned his own choices.  Throughout this book, Paul Keany talks about morality, choices and karma, and having based this book on his prison diaries, his real-life ending is karma all on its own. Paul Keany died of a cocaine and alcohol induced heart attack in 2021 at age 58, which is karma in its purest form, I'd guess, quite like that cocaine he tried to smuggle into Ireland. No sympathy whatsoever. If you want a good drug mule, true crime story, I'd suggest 'You'll never see daylight again' by Michaela McCollum.

[Tori Dillan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book straight after reading ‘The Damage Done’ about a man who was imprisoned for the same drug mule charges but for 12 years in Bangkok, so unfortunately I think I compared the two books a lot.

I think the book gives an insight into the injustice that takes place in other countries and their justice systems and the horrific things that take place there. I didn’t think the book was very well written though, at the end of every single chapter without fail it says something like ‘ I was soon to find out that wasn’t the case’ or ‘I would later find out I needed’ or ‘I was about to realise why...’ this cliffhanger ending used at the end of nearly Every. Single. Chapter grew tiresome to be honest and was way overused.

I would still recommend reading it as it really does give a great insight into the gruesome life you will live if you commit such a crime and get caught in another country. I in no way think he got off lightly, no one ever deserves to be sexually abused and the scum that did that to him should be put in jail for the rest of their lives. However, I couldn’t help relating it to the previous book I had read and thought whilst in the prison he got off fairly lightly in comparison.

Obviously being afraid for your life every day is awful. But compared to ‘The Damage Done’ where they not only feared for their lives but had to spend every day wondering who the sadistic prison guards would pick on today and what they would do to them, Paul seemed to do alright as the guards pretty much left them all be to be run by the inmates. And as long as you obeyed the rules, you’d do ok. Obviously I understand life was still awful but I think he was lucky to be put in the wing he was.

All in all, give it a read, just don’t expect much from the writing.

[Jeff Mauch · Rating 4 out of 5]

42. An Irish man, Paul Keany, was hard up during an economic downturn. His plumbing business was failing, and loans and bills were piling up. On a chance encounter, he's presented with an opportunity to make a quick $10,000. All he has to do is go spend a week or so in Venezuela, and bring home a suitcase with a few kilos of Cocaine in it. It sounds routine and too good to be true....it was. Paul spent the next 2+ years of an 8 year sentence in a Venezuelan prison where he didn't speak the language, and the inmates had guns and other weapons and essentially ran the place. During his time there, he kept a diary and even got to the point of having a laptop where he could keep it and communicate with the outside world. This is the story of his experience, and it's an interesting one. Any jail or prison is hard in its own way, but being put in one in a third world country where you can't communicate is a whole different thing. Paul's tale is one of just trying to learn and survive day by day in Los Teques prison. Atrocious living conditions, cocaine fueled gunfights, bribery, and extortion are all part of a confusing and scary mix of things to constantly navigate. He does so with luck, cunning, and even a little humor. This was a solid, page turning read and reminded me a lot of a show on TV years ago called Locked Up Abroad.
4/5

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

45-year-old plumber Paul Keany was doing well, he had his own one-man business and enough assignments - until the Irish bubble of the Celtic Tiger burst. Due to the recession, there are no more orders and Paul is having a hard time financially.
He is approached to make some easy money: €10.00 and a few sunny days in Venezuela, he just needs to take a parcel with him on his flight back to Ireland. Paul is stupid enough to accept this and is caught with cocaine at the Caracas airport. After being sentenced to eight years in prison and being gang-raped by police officers, he is taken to the gates of hell: Los Teques prison, where he stays for two years until his escape.

I had the feeling that parts of the story were missing: for example, the reader is taken through the process of finally buying a place in a bunk bed, but a little later he suddenly has a mobile phone and a laptop - how does he get that?
Also, Paul did not arouse great sympathy in me (for example, he had no desire to see his children in the first weeks after returning home, I just didn't get that). But I do admire Paul for his perseverance and resourcefulness.

Although this is not a literary highlight, it was an easy and entertaining read - it kept me interested until the end.

[Jaime · Rating 1 out of 5]

An unlikeable Irish guy gets locked up and for good measure sodomised by anti drug guards and cuffed without food or water for four days when he checks in to Venezuelan prison for trying to export six or seven kilos of cocaine.

A horrific start which doesn't get any better and what Paul Keany encounters over the next two years is dehumanising, brutal and incredible but he comes across as a bit of a loathsome dipshit lacking depth eg. he's in a spanish speaking prison for two years and still needs an interpreter despite there being classes for inmates.

There are laugh out loud bits like when his mates call him in the squalid South American jail having watched Manchester United win in a Champions League game to tell him "mate, we're having a grand time, you alright?"

But this isn't a particularly well-written book for mine (did the journalist who actually wrote it dumb things down?) and the fact that Keany comes across as a bit of a dick, whose answer for most things is to tell people to "fook awf" made me wanting to escape this more than he wanted to get out of that hell hole.

[Lavi · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mediocre piece of writing about a sub mediocre piece of shit who insists that drug mules and drug dealers are not the worst of the worst (sure, I would say they come in on third place after Pedos and Rapists, congratulations) and who exemplifies absolute ignorance of the uneducated working class of a European country. I rarely see racism or homophobia in books but fuck was Paul's voice and commentary annoying, offensive and simplistic. Again, uneducated and arrogant enough to somehow place himself socially and psychologically above other criminals and other addicts from a poor, corrupt country when he was stupid enough to try to bring 6 kilos of cocaine into his homeland doing his little contribution to poisoning kids and addicts.
So yeah, I guess if there are fans of true crime out there with a taste for very boring and repetitive writing, a main character that is entirely unlikeable, a disgusting amount of hypocrisy and a cast of secondary people that honestly carry the story, I guess this could be a non intellectual summer read.

[Apratim Mukherjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This jail diary is a mirror held up to Venezuelan prison system by a convicted drug smuggler Paul Keany.Paul ain't a saint and he repents for his crime.So it is not like he wrote this book (with Jeff Farrell) to prove his innocence.(The whole episode of Paul Kenny has been documented on 'Banged Up Abroad' series on Natgeo.)
Now,coming to the writing,Jeff Farrell is a journalist.So the language is not that crude as used inside a prison.However,sometimes the book is really a slog fest.There was no blueprint or a map explaining the design of the prison.(This is a problem as most of the readers have not gone to a jail).
With Paul repenting for his crimes,I would consider this is a good jail diary from a convict.If you have seen Banged Up Abroad or have an interest in Venezuelan prison system,you should read it.

[Hannah Kitching · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This book is incredible. I'd heard good things from friends but I didn't think I'd get as hooked as I did! This book comes with a lot of trigger warnings for violence, sexual abuse, drugs - the list goes on - but if you can read it, then do!

Paul's story is one echoed by so many others who have found themselves in a South American jails after trying to make a bit of money being a drugs mule. He tells the story with such incredible honesty, not shying away from some of his own darker moments so that we can all understand what life was like in Los Teques prison.

If you're after something a bit different, this book will grab you from the get-go.

[Emma Glanfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly Shocking but Insighful

A book of profound disappointment at the treatment of humans in this world.

The story leaves you with your jaw dropping at times as it seems to be too heinous to be true.

What an absolute shower of shit of a place for people to be sent to serve out their punishment behind bars (granted they did deserve some level of punishment) but to absolutely disregard human rights to this level. Absolutely bloody disgusting!

A powerful and painful read. I'm glad Paul and most of his "gringo" buddies have managed to escape and move on with their lives.