I Survived A 3 Day Gang War In South American Prison | Minutes With |  

You can get Natalie's book here: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1912885085/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_g_YR2JDTKJ01RVAVJ5CAZY And follow her on Instagram here: instagram.com/nataliew3lsh

Absolutely phenomenal story, really goes to show how a lack of guidance, love and security can drastically set the path a person takes. Natalie does not seem like a criminal, but her vulnerabilities put her in this situation. Thankyou for sharing your story.

What I wonder about is how is her daughter doing and how did she feel going through all this. These stories are always heartbreaking, but when it involves a child like this so closely, you've got to wonder how was the kid handling all of this, too. I feel so sorry for this woman, it's visible she hasn't quite healed from everything that happened to her and every moment of her life still stings.

This is just shows you exactly why people who offend can't get out because they are never given the opportunity to..... If you can't work because of your criminal record your just gonna do what you know

I feel so sorry for her. Used and abused all the way to being locked in a South American hell hole. I wish you all the best going forward.

Stories like these can save lives, thank you very much for having the courage to speak about these things publicly and possibly persaude people on the verge of becoming addicted to wake up and get their life together before it's too late.

The guy probably told her the truth. The guardia were in on it, but they sacrificed her to let an even bigger shipment through. The whole thing was planned from beginning to end. It happens all the time. You just take a gamble on whether or not they gave you the biggest shipment.

I am originally from Venezuela, and as soon as she said she was jailed over there, I knew right away she was in trouble. It’s an absolute horror what Venezuelan prisoners go through. Even though I’ve never been in prison, being from Venezuela gives me a fair understanding of your situation here. And it’s scary 😢

Fantastic interview Natalie congratulations on your book Escape from Venezuela's deadliest prison and podcasts also called Escape from Venezuela's deadliest prison parts 1 & 2

I'm from Venezuela, and the moment she said she was caught by the guard at the airport, I said she was screwed. Unfortunately justice in the country doesn't work, there are laws but they are not applied, the judicial system is corrupt. The prisons in Venezuela are another world, the stories you hear are just too crazy, to survive in them the families of the prisoners have to pay a lot of money to avoid being killed by the gangs that lead inside the prisons, the food and even the space where they sleep, she was very lucky to have scaped.I'm not saying it's the right thing to do because at the end of the day she committed a crime, but it was possible for her to end up dead.

She was probably used as bait to let the big shipment pass. Heartbreaking story but a strong woman

Good luck Natalie!, I hope you and your daughter the best. This was really touching and made me sad. My brother got caught in drugs and eventually lost his life beacause of them. It hurts me every day. I´m so glad you got out in time and could reunite with your daughter.

when she lost her clerical job why didn't she just get a minimum wage job with an a employment agency to pay the mortgage, bills and put food on the table until she found something better and the book came off? wtf

Great content guys, love these longform interviews, keep em coming!

If only people understood that a persons childhood is often the cause of how people end up in a life of crime and addiction. It’s so sad, she never deserved this life and that disgusting predator ‘social worker’ should be in prison and not allowed to go near young people. These childrens homes attract every predator there is. Respect to her for coming through and being able to talk so eloquently. That first prison was actually the epitome of hell on earth.

I just saw your story on TV " Banged up abroad" and then this just popped out on my feed. Amazing story girl. You are a real survivor. Wishing you and Nikkita the very best.

Thank you Natalie for sharing very personal struggles and adversities you’ve endured. I’m grateful you pulled through an inconceivable situation and found light in your life again. Much love and respect! 💜

What a horrid way to find out how the world works, I'm so sorry this happened to you, it must be so frustrating being charged and seeing more corruption going on from those imprisoning you. I hope you have rebuilt your life

So brave, telling this story. Stay strong and keep being posititve. It radiates 🙂

Such a sad sad story, would like to hear her daughters side of the story.

Wow, I am lost for words. Thank you for sharing your story ❤

What happened to her daughter? She's in the airport with her daughter and drugs, they arrest her... what happened to her daughter?

Moral of the story is when you get away with escaping prison don’t go bragging and write a book about it.

I feel sad for her but I feel worse for her daughter ❤️

I could listen to her speak all day. She's amazing.

There is no reward for getting yourself away from drugs. There is no prize for being a decent person and respecting the law. One of the hardest things is being reminded of where you’ve come from. Other people always drag you back to it and define you by it. So for you to define yourself however you please, that’s brilliant. Well done, Natalie. Keep your focus on what you want for yourself.

Thank you for sharing your story! Unbelievable how this woman survive that environment...

Thank you for sharing your story with the world. To see you now, having come out the other side of some truely horrific ordeals, is amazing. You are an inspiration, a true warrior. I am so pleased you have your daughter back now. A stronger bond than ever before. I am so sorry for your past and the abuse you suffered growing up. This was responsible for your choices. You have had so much horrendous life experience, and horrific battles, yet you have fought through it all and won the war. I hope that from now on your life runs smoother, that there are no more bumps in the road to your successes. I pray that your life will be abundant in everything you and your children need. That you will never be in a situation again where you feel you have only one choice. That now you can believe in yourself, your strength and capability to make happen; whatever you want out of the rest of your life. I am in awe of you. You are beautiful, amazing and have the strength of a lioness. I would love to buy your book. I might have missed it on the video. Please could you tell me the name of the book and the author name so i can read your story in full. Sending lots of love. From Judi xx

What a story! I was sad to hear that the system was not able to support you! We're rooting for you! I'll love to buy your book. Wishing you all the best.x

Deep story,haven't read Natalie's book yet but seen her on shaun attwoods podcast, my friend was also jailed in Venezuela in 1996, respect Natalie for surviving

When she said she feels really fortunate for her life now it gave me chills she has certainly earned her peace and happiness in life ❤

Wow great story big respect to you and Jose for helping you be free again stay safe big respect thanks for sharing this great story

Sending love to Natalie and her family ❤️❤️❤️

Talked to her over facebook! Amazing story, Natalie keep doing the next right thing.

@31:30 - the only thing unfair about the situation is that you chose to abandon you kids for a SECOND time. Also, when you escape a South American prison after smuggling 6 kilos of blow, don't expect decent society and employers to embrace you when you write a book about it and go on a media tour.

You are so bloody strong, wish you and your daughter nothing but happiness

I was with her up until she started selling drugs for the second time, claiming it felt unfair not only to be back in prison, but that the government itself had set her up to fail. The UK is incredibly generous in the benefits it provides in the first place, hence why she wanted to come back. She had her chance at a new life and blew it - going back to selling drugs isn't the default option. It was a tough situation, but you'd have to be pretty dumb to not consider that there'd be potential consequences from publishing a book on avoiding prison whilst still working within the legal system. Sad to say, but there has to come a point where you take ownership and responsibility for yourself and your children - it's not always society's issue.

There's so much missing here after she got back to the UK. What happened to Hose? She said she just wanted a job and mortgage, which she got, yet most of her friends were into drugs, so she hadn't left that scene behind. Can't feel sorry for her going to prison the second time.

truly amazing story truly amazing story telling

What a story, thank you.

Just can’t get past the fact that she brought her little daughter on international drug deals. My God.

She screwed up big time. On her behalf, she was very young and no guidance. Getting arrested in UK had no excuses, she knew better by then. I feel really sorry for her kids though.

The strength of this woman is inspirational. What an amazing woman.

i would like to know how she get Nikita back and also if she is still with Jose, i would love to see another episode with her!

What an amazing story. There should be a film made about this. I never expected so many plot twists in the space of half an hour. And what an amazing woman. This is truly one of the most enthralling 30 minutes of television I’ve ever watched in my entire life. Absolutely outstanding. ❤️ 🙏🏼

All I can say is WOW! Almost unbelievable but I know it happens. Such a shame people have to go through such heartache. I understand. People are not horrible because she made some mistakes. I wish society was more forgiving and truly supportive. Not only when you become completely destitute.

Serious question. How can you save up and get a mortgage within one year of getting a job which can’t have been that high paying? Not in the UK. Unless she wasn’t paying any rent or bills. Doesn’t add up.

The amount of victim blaming comments from people who clearly have not gone through child sexual abuse is disgusting. I was tortured as a child. My brain developed with abuse. I know exactly how it feels to be so desperate to get away from the trauma that you will do whatever it takes. And she was 16! That’s when it started. That’s a freaking child. A child had a child with a predator then was targeted by more predators. I was so vulnerable when I was a teen, I could have easily been kidnapped. I even met a man from online when I was 15 because I had the mind of a 10 year old, and I did not understand the danger since I was used to grown men looking at me. I thankfully met him in person and left because he scared me. And he luckily did not follow me. But literally that’s how a child gets roped into drugs and prostitution. (I was not sexually actively but just saying that she is not just some privileged whiner). She was fucking raped as a child. She’s a survivor. She’s strong. She’s resilient. We all are. And we uplift one another. People without compassion can go somewhere else.

Wow. No words. All the best to Natalie & her daughter ❤️

Am sorry she went through so much in her childhood. What i got from this is if you see a local crackhead do not invite them in and share their drugs. This is the real down fall of life events. Stay away from drugs.

I’ve got a 3yo daughter and I feel the agony of this situation in my soul

What a survivor....you been put thru the mill and got to tell your tale...well done thanks for sharing....

Resilience is the key to life

Venesuela sounds like a wonderful civilized country good times. I want to hear Jose´s story how heended up in the UK.

just been listening to this on spotify. she has a very soothing voice, would be a great voice talent person.

What an inspiring journey she's had! All the way from the Uk to Venezuela!

so she started selling drugs again at the same time as having a book out there detailing her escape from prison for dealing them? Surely that's putting a target on your own head? I would like to know. where the daughter was during her time in prison in V and how she was reunited

Had 100% sympathy until 31:44 minutes. Then she just plays the victim. Many of us suffer hardship, lose our jobs, struggle to pay rent / bills / mortgage. You find another job. She chose to sell drugs again, even though she had a daughter to look after, then feels like society screwed her over because she got caught and went to jail.

Amazing story

Thank you for sharing your very harrowing story with us, dear lady and I wish both yourself and your daughter all the best for the future. xxxx

This video just popped up on my RU-vid, i watched it full and at the end i feel sorry for Natalie. She tried to live honest life but world we live in didn’t gave her fair chance to live honest life. Feel really sorry for her, may she live freely rest of her life 🤗

It's an awesome story and I love the petty comments by people who cannot believe she did not turn into a saint after being in prison. I know, so many people leave jail and just come out better and happier.

They should make a movie, this story it's crazy 😎

Truly inspiring ❤️ sending lots of love to you from the UK, Qrucifix x

She’s an eloquent lady, she tells her story as it happened and she knows she took some bad decisions in her life. Poor soul ! She was probably used as a decoy to let bigger dealers go through. It’s corrupt in latin America and no one’s going to help you there. You need money to stay safe in a Venezuelan prison. I have watched so many documentaries ‘locked up abroad’ or ‘banged up abroad’ and it’s the same old stories every time, people want the cash and most have drugs addiction too. She was blinded by the £££ she stopped being lucid. How crazy to smuggle drugs with your kid! It must have been heartbreaking 💔to be separated from her daughter. It seems people smuggling drugs are absorbed by the money they can gain making themselves believe they will have a new start with the money and be good thereafter, promising never to do it again but it’s a vicious circle and it’s just not worth it compare to what you have to endure when you get caught. And it’s not right either to smuggle drugs. She tells her story so well, let’s hope vulnerable people can learn from it 😮🤔

The system have failed you, but you haven't failed yourself, you are a true hero and have an amazing and unbelievable inspiring story! I wish you all the best and want to buy your book!

She's open and honest about her past and ends up loosing everything AGAIN! Talk about being completely screwed over by the system. My heart really goes out to you at how your own countrys government, not to mention an employer with a complete lack of understanding had completely and totally let you down. All the best to you, moving forward in whichever direction it may take you.

I wish her all the happiness in the world now. She didn’t deserve that.

Damn! Even after all she went through the first time, u’d think she’d wait tables before dealin again

A friend of mine from HS got caught trafficking many years ago. A few years later I saw just her eye exposed in a pic in a magazine and stopped right away. The article was all about her life story and how she got to the prison she was currently in. So I knew the eye I suspected to be hers actually was. I obviously have lost contact but often wonder about her and wonder if she's free

Yooo Nat!!! It's Nutty Chris here, a truly heartbreaking story. Look at you now though, living it up in the sunshine. Hope your well my lovely ❤️ x

“It was unfair that I was back in prison, even though I was selling drugs”, look it sucks that you lost your job, but you decided to go back to selling drugs, and you got caught, no one to blame but yourself

I saw her story on Locked up Abroad. Our actions have consequences, and to put your child in danger is so selfish. Venezuela's government is corrupt and the people are starving. By bringing her daughter, she was put at the same risk. Kids are dropping dead there of starvation and disease. I'm so grateful her daughter made it home safe, no telling what trauma she will have from this experience.

Very interesting person & story, its a shame she went back to dealing after surviving all that madness beforehand. Surely she could have landed a new job? cafe or carwash or fkn anything!?! but at the same time nobody should judge anyone else when there is so many factors involved. Easy to say this or that when your basing it off your own situation. She seems like a genuinely nice person and i hope things are going much better now. best of luck

I feel so bad for her, the history and entrapment. So happy she turned everything around

All the best Natalie 🏵️🌞

tbh i was v sympathetic to her story until her second prison sentence, So she got given a council house and support but the moment she has her own home now she's like I'm being persecuted and set up to fail because people who own homes don't get benefits? Like alright yeah there's deffo room for some reform to that, but then she's like so now i don't pay any tax at all even tho she expects that safety net? like i'm not even arsed that she went back to selling drugs ok it's the selfishness of expecting a welfare state to protect her but also deliberately refusing to pay tax...?

What a brave person you are. How lucky a lot of us are not to have to walk those lonely paths to and through hell.

God Bless such a lovely honest lady ❤️❤️❤️

wow she’s amazing

love how she didn't care one bit about what she was doing to her daughter

When she lost her high paying job why didn't she get another? I'm sorry but she is her own worst enemy.

a movie based on her experience would be pretty powerful

💯 - Lee Marvin ‘ I was born in prison and first used drugs at 8 ‘ here at LADbible TV x thank you

Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. The first time, she was young, naive. The second time you have to take some responsibility.

She's right about the system screwing her over. Helping people with their mortgage payments while they get onto their feet would be common sense.

Listening to her, at the end, saying she " feels blessed" made me realize once more that my typical middle-class " struggles" are absolute non-events...

It's so common. Young people who have no family and came through the system get shredded by life.

I had some sympathy until 31:00

Deals drugs, gets caught, goes to prison, ... deals drugs again, gets caught again, prison again. -It's the government's fault!

What an amazing lady ❤

Very very good story 💯💯💯💯

Wonder what happened in her relationship with the foreign guard ? A very interesting life story 👍🏻

How prisons like this exist blows my fkn mind. Like i understand criminals deserve punishment but we're do we draw the moral line. Do the guards not become criminals when they treat the prisoners inhumanely? Why is one act of violence justified when others are punished for it

This sounds like something straight out of a movie wow

What a story,

Everything is someone else's fault, she took no responsibility for anything she did. I've no respect for someone who can't see themselves as anything other than a victim

Subtitle writers - it's "Colombia", not "Columbia"

Wow what a story 😮 very strong woman who has been through some really tough times. In the end luck was on her side with what both governments said.

Pity we never get to work festivals together. We lived in the woods together for a bit. It was fun. I really liked her. A unique type of person. The book is cool. Hope we meet again sometime ☺.