Tourist Finds Himself in 'World's Toughest Jail' During Vacation: Here's the Story

John Henshaw, a resident of Greater Manchester in the UK, was arrested on February 9 at La Paz International Airport on "drug trafficking charges" while backpacking in Bolivia. According to John's family, he was carrying "two grams of weed" at the time of his arrest. The 39-year-old is now incarcerated in San Pedro prison, which was infamously featured on the TV show Behind Bars: The World's Toughest Prison. John's court hearing could take up to 90 days, which means he will have to spend that time in jail. John's ex-partner and 15-year-old daughter are fundraising and campaigning to secure John's release.

San Pedro Prison is known to operate on an informal payment system, in which inmates pay for things like food, toiletries and their prison cells. It is believed that the prison is run by the inmates and guarded only by the police, who are only concerned with keeping the inmates inside.

John's worried ex-partner told the Manchester Evening News they were able to speak to him via an illegal phone inside the prison. According to the report, John told them that he had no access to clean water and food, and as a result, he was sick and had lost weight. His well-wishers have now set up a GoFundMe to raise funds for his legal fees and prison allowance. He has already spent 50 days in jail but is still awaiting the first hearing. The British Embassy in Bolivia told the media that they were trying to help John.

John is not the only British person to be imprisoned in San Pedro. In 1996, Thomas McFadden was incarcerated at the same prison after being found with "cocaine" at La Paz International Airport. McFadden spent five years in prison and later spoke about the prison's brutal but unique ecosystem in various documentaries. He also helped author Rusty Young write a best-selling non-fiction book, Marching Powder, about his time in prison.

McFadden recounted his five-year stay at San Pedro prison in a 2017 documentary called Wildlands, explaining that one part of the prison was built like a hotel with facilities such as a Jacuzzi, while the other end was unsanitary and deprived. San Pedro Prison houses more than 3,000 inmates, although its holding capacity is only 600.