Venezuela: San Antonio prison: Drugs, sex and... Salsa

On Isla Margarita just outside the capital city of Porlamar stands the San Antonio prison. From the outside it looks like a -gate locked by guards and -the fence watched by snipers-, like any normal prison in Venezuela. Appearances are deceiving.

Once you are through the gate there is no trace of what you normally find in a prison. In this little paradise over 2,000 prisoners live like gods. Guards you do not see, from the gate the prisoners are in charge. In charge is "Teófilo Rodríguez" aka "El Conejo," a former drug trafficker.

On weekends, the gate is open and outsiders (family, friends and visitors) are welcome to visit people or use the pool, nightclub or other facilities offered by the prison.

The government recognizes the problem but fights for their position within the prison system. Corruption does not help them achieve their goal here. As an example, only 2.5% of the people who complete subsidized studies to work in prisons actually work in prisons. The remaining 97.5%.... who usually find jobs in the private sector or in the criminal circuit.

San Antonio is no exception among the prisons here in Venezuela. However due to the large overpopulation of prisons (as many as four times in some prisons), and the lack of control, it is estimated that at least 1% of all prisoners die from violence on an annual basis.

In between, the minister in charge of prisons and former drug trafficker "El Conejo" maintain an intimate and personal relationship as seen on a surfaced photo

San Antonio has everything you can find in a small town in Venezuela, actually more than that. A swimming pool full of girls in bikinis, with people on the edge sipping imported whiskey, a restaurant, a BBQ and a nightclub. The cool air-conditioned cubicles have satellite dishes, flat screens and every other piece of equipment you can think of. You have a hairdresser, a store and the trade of illegal drugs and modern weapons.

Giovana Vitola and reporter for SBS dateline recently published a reportage made with her iphone about San Antonio. The 12-minute reportage is worth checking out. view

(Photo from SBS dateline)