El Infierno: Drugs, Gangs, Riots and Murder: My Time Inside Ecuador's Toughest Prisons

by Pieter Tritton

“Gato’s head snapped back… We could make out the shots of several 9mms, a couple of 38s and one or two 45s. I hurled myself through the doorway and into the room. I didn’t look back.”

Caught in an Ecuador hotel room with 8kg of cocaine, Pieter Tritton was no mule or dupe. He had planned and organized everything. The a 12-year sentence inside one of the world’s deadliest prison systems, where gun fights, executions and riots are a part of everyday life. As a Brit banged up abroad, Pieter had to learn how to survive – and fast – because one wrong move would mean death. This is the insider account of what it’s like to live in a place worse than hell and come out a changed man on the other side.

Genres: Crime, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[WIlliam Gerrard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This autobiographical account of Brit drug smuggler, Pieter Tritton, is a flowing, page-turning journey that documents his twelve years locked up in Ecuador's notorious, corrupt and highly dangerous prison system. Tritton is already in trouble back in the UK where he is being sought by police for large scale international drug trafficking. He heads out to Ecuador for a fairly straightforward 2kg cocaine purchase, cleverly melted down and concealed in a tent's groundsheet, that he aims to transport back to the lucrative European markets. He has been stitched up though and his hotel room is busted and his girlfriend and him start an arduous adventure in the justice system of this exotic Andean nation. From the outset it is clear that the prison system is quite a bit different to that Pieter has previous experienced in the UK. Here. the guards are usually in the command of the brutal gangs that run the prisons. It is a dog eat dog world and murder is rife. At first the lifestyle seems quite liberal within the prison as the cells aren't usually locked up for much of the time and there is relative freedom of movement and lots of amenities such as shops and prisoners are allowed luxury items and to decorate their own cells. However, the underlying gangs that run the system are in total control. Drugs are very freely available and Pieter gets heavily involved in the business he knows best, dealing both inside the prison walls and also continuing international trafficking through the new contacts he picks up. He earns the respect of most inmates although he occasionally takes high risks that could result in serious calamity. There is a steady stream of high machismo violence and murder. The justice system is obviously corrupt and there are difficulties negotiating this. Later, during his stay in the notorious Guayaquil La Peni prison, he contracts TB and almost dies. The book is a heartfelt journey and the frank nature of the author as he expresses his true feelings and fears and narrates his liaisons with the depraved criminal characters often right at the top of the gang hierarchy, gives us a true life insight into a dark and oppressed system where Pieter survives probably only though his optimistic spirit and entrepreneurial attitude. I really enjoyed this book and it tells of a journey through life that must have been very difficult.

[Seamus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met Pieter when he was in prison in Quito in the early part of his sentence. One thing he didn’t mention (somewhat surprisingly) is that he received loads of tourists as visitors in Quito (similar to Rusty in Marching Powder) hence why I got to meet him. It felt a bit surreal reading about characters that he introduced to me to like Ruben and Sacha.
He was a very interesting bloke and the book is really engagingly written with an excellent tone that doesn’t look for pity as many prison memoirs do.
His resourcefulness and ability to fight through the immense struggles he faced are (if not inspirational) very impressive though he acknowledges the toll his time in Ecuador has taken on him.
I do hope he has found happiness.

[Erin Nudi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really compelling, well told story. Couldn't put it down.