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- BANGED UP ABROAD: HELLHOLE -

The very next morning, Luke and the Russian came to my house as arranged, to talk us through the finer points of the deal.

We were nervous as hell, and had already started drinking. We used to like a drink back in those days, and the impending meeting with Luke and the Russian had given us a proper thirst.

I’d talked it through with Paul. Luke had offered us both what we wanted on a plate, and we were both still keen to proceed. We told ourselves we’d only do it once, that we were being handed an opportunity we’d never get again. We knew it was dodgy, but compared to what life was offering us, it seemed like a risk worth taking.

When they finally turned up, we got straight into the nuts and bolts of the deal.

'Here’s how it works,' the Russian said. 'When you get to Venezuela, you’ll be fitted with bullet-proof vests that will contain five kilos of cocaine each. You’ll get paid £5,000 each. Everybody in Venezuela will be paid off, so it will be a walk in the park.'

But I wasn’t happy with that. I’ve always driven a hard bargain, and the drink gave me confidence. Five grand didn’t seem like a lot for the risk we’d be running, so I spoke up: 'We’re looking at a life stretch if we get nicked,' I said. 'So we want you to up the money.'

The Russian fell silent for what seemed an eternity, but then nodded. 'OK, we can make it £9,000 each. But no turning back. Double-cross me, and I will kill you.'