Our World

Troops Storm Prison Run By Inmates

I stumbled upon an article that was very interesting to me. It all took place in Fraijanes, Guatemala. Security forces took over Pavon, a Guatemalan prison controlled for more than 10 years by inmates. These inmates produced drugs such as cocaine and liquor. They lived in spacious homes with luxury goods and even rented space for stores and restaurants. Luis Alfonso Zepeda, a convicted murderer was elected by prisoners to control the prison. Zepeda earned around $25,000 a month from extortion and drug trafficking run from inside the prison.

Pavon, southeast of the capital, was originally built for 800 inmates as a farm prison, where prisoners could grow their own food. Its population grew over time and inmates began to construct their own homes on the grounds. After running Pavon for 10 years, most inmates were living a comfortable lifestyle, a Colombian drug trafficker had a Jacuzzi and another house had a king- sized bed that was protected by guard dogs.

After security forces took control of Pavon, they began transferring it 1,600 inhabitants to different prisons. This story is so strange. How could this have happened for such a long period of time? It just goes to show that Guatemala has very little security and control in its nation. I just hope now that they can learn from their mistakes and improve the standards of prison security.

Troops Storm Prison

posted by Anonymous @ 10/13/2006 04:44:00 PM