Briton left to rot in 'world's toughest HELLHOLE jail' due to 'false' drug charges as family plead for his return

Briton left to rot in 'world's toughest HELLHOLE jail' due to 'false' drug charges as family plead for his return

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GB News
George Bunn

By George Bunn


Published: 09/04/2024

- 15:00

The family of John Henshaw from Atherton in Greater Manchester said he was arrested on 'false' drug trafficking charges

The family of a British man who has been thrown in the "world's toughest prison" have pleaded for his release.

John Henshaw from Atherton in Greater Manchester was reportedly arrested on a drug trafficking charge for the alleged possession of a "tiny" amount of cannabis at La Paz International Airport in Bolivia on February 9.


His family claim the 39-year-old is now incarcerated in San Pedro prison in the Bolivian capital.

Henshaw's family have claimed that he has been forced to pay for his own cell space.

John is being held in the prison in the city centre\u200b

John is being held in the prison in the city centre

Getty/Gofundme

His worried daughter and ex-partner say he has no access to clean water, clean clothes, a consistent source of food or his own cell.

Henshaw has told his family that he is sleeping on the floor nightly, surrounded by up to 30 other prisoners and is forced to share two toilets with around 120 inmates.

In a GoFundMe page, an associate of Henshaw said: "It's 30-90 days until they look at his case. There's zero human rights, the prison is left to the prisoners. All the guards are on the outside, they never go inside.

"He's spent all of his money on a lawyer and fees, with more to come and a fine. You have to pay to be in the prison and then pay for the safety of a cell, otherwise you sleep in the corridors, basically living rough, on the streets of the worst jail of the poorest country in the Americas, and a very dangerous place on the outside of the jail, never mind inside."

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Prisoners on a roof

Prisoners on the roof of the Bolivian prison during a riot in 2022

Getty

The fundraising page added: "John said he massively appreciates everyone who is helping and donating.

"I think he will be OK once he has his own cell, if he keeps his head down and locks himself in at night.
But make no mistake about it, he's in a very very dangerous and scary position, that he doesn't deserve to be in.

"Only a couple of people even speak the same language. A position that I don't think anybody in our luxury, clean and safe homes in England, can begin to imagine.

"All anybody can do to help, is either visit him (once he's in a cell, there's a lot of visiting time) or donate."

John Henshaw

John Henshaw from Atherton in Greater Manchester

GoFundMe

John is currently waiting to hear from a judge on a final decision on his charges and is hoping that he won't have to stay in San Pedro for the full 90-day waiting period.

A member of the British Embassy in Bolivia told The Daily Mirror that they were helping John and that he is in San Pedro prison.

GB News has contacted the Embassy of Bolivia in the UK for an update.

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