Going undercover in a cartel’s wild prison-HQ
Venezuelan journalist Ronna RĂsquez found a kids' playground, a nightclub and a zoo inside, as she was conducting crucial research for a book about the gang in charge.
Venezuelan journalist Ronna RĂsquez was doing research for a book about the notorious Tren de Aragua gang, which had taken control of the TocorĂłn 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 LĂłpez PĂ©rez
Voiceover artist: Rona Fletcher
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707
(Photo: The kids' playground inside TocorĂłn prison. Credit: Reuters)
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Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary
Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected