Mum of Birkenhead man jailed for cocaine smuggling talks about his life in notorious Venezuelan jail

Feb 17 2010 by Luke Traynor, Birkenhead News

THE mother of a Birkenhead man locked up in one of the world’s most dangerous jails says he is “scared and down in the dumps”.

Paul Makin, 32, was handed an eight-year sentence after he was caught at the island of Margarita with 24kgs of cocaine in a suitcase last February.

His mother Christine has learned that British consulate officials are refusing to enter the infamous San Antonio prison in Venezuela to give Paul money to buy basic food and water.

They have informed the Foreign Office that it is too hazardous to enter San Antonio with its notorious reputation for housing South America’s most brutal gangsters.

Inmates have to pay for their own food and water, often provided by small daily allowances from their respective national consulates.

But due to the perceived danger, Mr Makin is having to “beg and borrow” to stay alive, according to Christine.

The mother-of-four, who speaks to her son every week, said he had dropped five stone to 12 stone during his time behind bars.

She said: “The Foreign Office told me they would no longer go to help Paul unless it was a medical emergency. “You can drink from a hosepipe in the garden, but you take your chances with how clean that is going to be.

“Whenever I speak to him he’s scared and down in the dumps.

“He has horror stories when I speak to him.

“Paul is sharing a cell with dozens of others.”

His former partner Laura is in the same jail, sharing a cell with 15 women, but is pleading her innocence and is expected to stand trial within the next two years.

She has previously stated she had no involvement or knowledge of the £1.2m Class A drugs heist.

Both Laura and Makin wish to be extradited to the UK, to serve any outstanding sentence in this country.

The Foreign Office said they were aware of the difficulty surrounding Makin’s cancelled consulate visits. A spokeswoman added they were confident the matter would be quickly resolved.