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MARCHING POWDER

that many of the inmates were annoyed about the tourists visiting the prison. Some of the gangs were planning to rob them and create problems for me inside the prison. I had to be careful: if any foreigner was ever attacked, that would mean the end of the tours immediately. Lucho had a generous proposition for me.

'Mi amigo, I want to help you with the tours,' he said, linking his index fingers together in a symbol of unity. His companions nodded. 'I think we will work well together. Like brothers.'

As with the police, I had no choice but to agree. Lucho and I became what was known in San Pedro as socios – partners. For a share of the tour profits, he and his two men, Victor Cartagena and Lucho Vaca, would accompany the tour groups as official bodyguards, while I showed them around the various sections. Although this meant less money for me, it did solve two problems in one go: it kept the tourists protected as they moved about the prison, and it kept me protected from the other gangs.

One of the gang leaders was only a boy, although a very dangerous boy. His real name was David Cordero; however, he was known to everyone simply as Fantasma – meaning 'ghost' – because he believed in spirits and read books about black magic. He was only nineteen years old when he arrived at San Pedro. Legally, he shouldn't have been in an adult prison because he was under twenty-one, but no one did anything about it. In Bolivia, there were inmates as young as fourteen.

Fantasma was Bolivian but he had spent many years in the United States on a green card, so he spoke English with a strong American accent. He acted a lot tougher than his age because he had hung out with street gangs in New York, where he had become known as 'The Latin King'. Fierce tattoos now covered his hands, and he wore American-style gang clothing and listened to rap music. Despite his tough act, I did my best to make friends with Fantasma when he first moved into Alamos. At that stage, I didn't know his background and I thought I might be able to save him from being attacked, like I had been. However, I soon worked out that Fantasma didn't need any looking after.

Within a month of entering San Pedro, he had stabbed an inmate in a fight. He was immediately sent to La Muralla, the prison's punishment section. When he got out, he stabbed another inmate in the leg and was sent back to the isolation cells. I wasn't sure if all this was an