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The Cocaine Diaries: A Venezuelan Prison Nightmare

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'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 anti-drugs 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-fuelled 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. The Cocaine Diaries is a remarkable story, told by Keany with honesty, courage and even humour, despite knowing that every day behind bars might have been his last.

272 pages, Paperback

First published June 7, 2012

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Paul Keany

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5 stars
432 (30%)
4 stars
596 (42%)
3 stars
287 (20%)
2 stars
76 (5%)
1 star
13 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
Profile Image for ♥ Marlene♥ .
1,688 reviews149 followers
August 3, 2016
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:

Bali 9 The Untold Story by Cindy Wockner 2 stars

Escape The true story of the only Westerner ever to break out of Thailand's Bangkok Hilton by David McMillan 1 star

The Damage Done Twelve Years of Hell in a Bangkok Prison by Warren Fellows 2 stars

Tien jaar achter Thaise tralies  by Machiel Kuijt 1 star

Levenslang in Thailand by Pedro Ruijzing 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...
Profile Image for Danial Tanvir.
366 reviews27 followers
July 19, 2017
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!.
Profile Image for Maria Rosa.
10 reviews
September 27, 2017
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.
Profile Image for Tatterededges.
401 reviews23 followers
August 12, 2015
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...

Profile Image for Hannah Martin.
3 reviews2 followers
September 5, 2014
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.
Profile Image for Conrad Mason.
141 reviews3 followers
July 15, 2015
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
Profile Image for Ceeceereads.
878 reviews59 followers
June 14, 2024
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.
Profile Image for Erik Surewaard.
186 reviews7 followers
November 2, 2018
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.
Profile Image for Emma Little fox.
5 reviews2 followers
May 16, 2020
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.
Profile Image for Sandy.
523 reviews20 followers
August 2, 2016
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.
Profile Image for Speedstar25.
50 reviews
January 23, 2014
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.
Profile Image for Michal Dufek.
20 reviews4 followers
August 29, 2013
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.
Profile Image for Caio Malufe.
103 reviews1 follower
May 10, 2018
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
2 reviews
May 31, 2018
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.
Profile Image for Demi Noakes.
146 reviews
July 23, 2018
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.
Profile Image for Lua.
274 reviews34 followers
May 19, 2023
Lo más triste de todo, es que es cierto todo. Es lamentable lo que se ve en Venezuela.
Profile Image for Tori Dillan.
117 reviews1 follower
April 20, 2020
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.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for David Sherwin.
23 reviews
October 19, 2020
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.
Profile Image for Monica.
424 reviews3 followers
November 28, 2023
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.
Profile Image for Apratim Mukherjee.
242 reviews48 followers
August 28, 2022
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.
Profile Image for Emma Glanfield.
61 reviews1 follower
May 22, 2022
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.
Profile Image for Renee.
1,618 reviews24 followers
August 18, 2018
A captivating read about what happens when a 45 year old man from Ireland tries to make fast money buy smuggling some kilos of cocaine into Venezuela. The saying "the animals are running the zoo" could never be truer.
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.
8 reviews
October 6, 2019
This book was average at best which is crazy because a journalist apparently helped him write it. There are inconsistencies in the story at times, it is hard to understand the layout of the prison and who is who as the characters mostly aren’t described in any attention grabbing way. Some sentences and or paragraphs were just totally grammatically incorrect or incoherent and it annoyed me because I put a lot of time into reading it and I wanted it to be a half decent read.
July 4, 2022
3.5 Stars.

I didn't really go into this book with any predetermined ideas, in saying that. I found this book almost lacking, it's always hard to write reviews on real life books but I can understand why you would want to get this down on paper, it would be almost cathartic. I however feel that it was missing vital bits, and honestly I could not say how you could fix it, it was just 'lacking' and it's sad.
50 reviews
September 11, 2017
This is the first book I have read about the Cocaine trade, and what an eye opener. It was easy to read and I couldn't put it down. Thanks to the author's diaries it is a thorough review of his experience as a drug mule. Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Jp Sordan.
9 reviews
October 10, 2020
Very brave of the author to include very private incidents that happened to him.

Valenzuela prison is crazy. After reading books about life in Hotel K and Bangkok Hilton, I still don't know which is preferable among the three.
98 reviews
April 8, 2024
Audiobook: Really enjoyed listening to this. The narrator was brilliant with his accents for each character and the way he told the story. A crazy story about an Irish guy getting arrested in Venezuela for smuggling. Really interesting to listen to and shocking in a lot of parts
12 reviews
January 14, 2018
Don’t judge

Loved this book. Well written, easy to read. Although a dumb decision, what happened to these people is completely unacceptable and horrific.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews

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