Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Find out how to listen to other BBC stations

Episode details

World Service,24 Oct 2023,40 mins

Going undercover in a cartel’s wild prison-HQ

Outlook

Available for over a year

Venezuelan journalist Ronna Rísquez was doing research for a book about the notorious Tren de Aragua gang, which had taken control of the Tocorón prison and was operating out of it. The cartel ran the prison with impunity, and Ronna had heard about the unbelievable facilities inside, like a family swimming pool, a kids' playground, a nightclub, even a zoo. She wanted to see the reality with her own eyes, so she hatched an audacious plan to go undercover into their prison-headquarters. Andrew Fusek-Peters turned the fear of a cancer diagnosis into something remarkable. As he was undergoing treatment, he worked on new techniques to photograph butterflies in flight and taking off from flowers. He then published a book with pictures of all the UK's native species of butterfly, called Butterfly Safari. Presenter: Ramita Navai Producer: Rob Wilson Translator and interpreter: Jonathan López Pérez Voiceover artist: Rona Fletcher Get in touch: [email protected] or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707 (Photo: The kids' playground inside Tocorón prison. Credit: Reuters)

Programme Website
More episodes