A former international drug trafficker, Pieter Tritton, has opened up about his harrowing experiences inside one of the world’s most notorious prisons. Despite having grown up in a picturesque part of the English countryside near Princess Anne’s estate, Tritton revealed to LADbible that he drifted into drug dealing during his teenage years due to financial difficulties.
His initial imprisonment came after he was caught smuggling cocaine and amphetamines while attending college. However, upon his release, he resumed his illicit activities, establishing drug trafficking routes from Ecuador. He cleverly disguised cocaine shipments as camping equipment imports.
In 2005, while handling a significant cocaine deal in Ecuador, UK authorities uncovered one of his primary operations. They managed to turn his accomplice, which led to Tritton’s arrest and incarceration in Quito, one of the world’s most perilous prisons.
While imprisoned in Quito, Tritton witnessed extreme violence, including people being shot on the spot. He described the prison’s environment as akin to a “small town” with open facilities like shops and restaurants. Yet, within its confines, violence could erupt unpredictably, resulting in gruesome scenes of brutality.
The pervasive smell of blood from frequent killings left a lasting impression on him, contributing to the psychological toll of his imprisonment. He spoke about the ever-present fear of death, wondering each night if it might be his last.
Tritton recounted seeing inmates killed in various horrific ways, including electrocution, decapitation, and being shot. His ordeal worsened when he was transferred to another violent prison in Guayaquil, notorious for its gang-dominated environment and vast population of 8,000 inmates across 24 wings.
In Guayaquil, Tritton was advised that surviving five years was unlikely, as many prisoners succumbed to death, illness, or madness. To endure, he joined an armed prison gang, but contracted tuberculosis, causing his weight to plummet to just 108 pounds.
Despite his illness, Tritton was still forced to engage in violent encounters, working for the Choneros gang to sell alcohol and cocaine within the prison. He described the gang’s dominance, with prisoners arming themselves with submachine guns and assault rifles.
Throughout his time in these brutal Ecuadorian prisons, Tritton witnessed countless deaths, leaving him with indelible memories of the violence. Eventually, after a tense incident, Tritton was sent back to the UK when his family settled a fine related to his sentencing.
Upon returning, he described his time at Wandsworth Prison as comparatively serene, likening it to a “holiday camp” because he no longer had to fear being shot.