'I was a teen mum at 17, drug runner at 21'
Meet the rampant Rabbi who has a different wife for each day of the week
Philip Sharp has a different wife for each day of the week...
Natalie Welsh hoped a one-off drug run would fund a better life. But she got caught - and lost her daughter, her dignity and almost her life...
Crammed into a corner of the filthy hole of a room, Natalie Welsh began to shake. The stench of sweat and human waste was overwhelming and cockroaches as big as small birds crawled over her hands and face.
Then a siren blasted out. Another prisoner shook her head. "Dead," she spat in heavily accented English, pointing through the bars. Natalie gagged as she saw the bloodied body of a dead prisoner being taken away.
That was when Natalie crumbled. At 21, the single mum had been sentenced to 10 years in prison for trying to smuggle £325k worth of cocaine back to Britain. This hellhole was now her home.
Natalie had been to Venezuela with her daughter, Nikita, four, but on her way home, she was caught with 5kg of cocaine hidden beneath a false base in her suitcase. She was transferred from a police cell to San Antonio prison, one of the world's harshest correctional facilities.
"The thought that I wouldn't see Nikita for so many years broke my heart," recalls Natalie, now 29. "I'd ruined her life as well as my own, and had no one to blame but myself."
On paper, Natalie was an unlikely candidate for a drugs runner. She'd had an unremarkable but comfortable middle-class upbringing in Gloucestershire - until she hit her teens. Conflict at home resulted in her rebelling - she did drugs at 13 and asked to go into care a year later. At 16, Natalie moved into a shared house and had an affair with her assigned key worker. He was married and she was pregnant. Nikita was born and the affair lasted three more years before Natalie ended it.
Natalie struggled as a single mum and it wasn't long before she turned to drugs again. When a friend introduced her to crack cocaine, she was hooked.
"When crack wraps you in its embrace, you fall hard and fast," she says. "My little girl was always fed and clothed, but she wasn't my focus. Crack, or getting crack, was."
Within months she was mired in credit card debt to feed her £300-a-day habit. So when a friend of her dealer suggested a little drug-running 'job' she could do in Venezuela in return for £4,000, she agreed. "I told myself the money would fund a new life for me and Nikita," she says.
In fact, it spelled disaster. "The worst thing was saying goodbye to Nikita. The British Embassy had arranged for her to fly home, where my best friend, Eve, would look after her until I got out. But Nikita's bewildered little face when we said goodbye has been seared on my heart forever," she says.
Guns, drugs, rape and murder were commonplace in San Antonio prison, home to both female and male inmates. The female prisoners were locked in their cells for their own safety and shared showers and toilets. The only garments Natalie had to wear were the holiday clothes she'd been allowed to keep after her arrest. Her days started at dawn when prisoners were woken for an inspection - and beaten if they didn't get up in time. "I'd wake up hoping it had been a bad dream, then reality hit," she says. She spent hours curled up on her dirty mattress trying to learn Spanish, or writing letters to her mum, Eve, and Nikita.
What little food there was at the prison got commandeered by the female gang leaders. Natalie often survived for days on spoonfuls of dried milk powder. "The only water to drink was foul - it stayed brown, no matter how many times you boiled it," she says.
When she could, she made reverse-charge calls home. Her mother berated her at first, then filled her in on how Nikita was doing. Afterwards, she'd hang up the phone and try to stay alive for the next 24 hours. The male prisoners were violent - and the guards couldn't, or wouldn't, intervene.
Natalie coped by believing the authorities would send her home to the UK. "Every day I hoped someone would come to take me home," she says. But no one did.
One day, Natalie saw that a prisoner had been murdered. "His ripped-out tongue was stitched to his lips as a warning to others not to talk," she recalls. The image still haunts her.
So Natalie turned to drugs again. "The prison was full of them: cocaine, Ritalin, crack I needed to escape. Getting out of my mind was the only way to escape reality," she says.
By now she was in regular phone contact with her mum, who flew to visit her. Natalie bombarded her with questions about Nikita. "I hung on her every word, but it was no substitute for holding my daughter in my arms," she says.
All too soon, the visit was over. "When she turned to leave, I had a terrible feeling I was never going to see her again," Natalie recalls. Her premonition was right - a few weeks later her mother called to say she'd been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. "Whenever she rang she sounded weaker," says Natalie. "It was heartbreaking."
A year into her sentence, Natalie purposely overdosed. "I saw a bloodied body lying on a stretcher in the prison yard - it had been there for days. And I knew no one was ever coming to get me either - I'd stopped believing I'd ever see Nikita again. I just wanted to die," she says.
She snorted a massive line of cocaine and swallowed a handful of pills - only to wake up two days later. No one had bothered with her comatose body. "I figured I'd survived for a reason and realised how selfish I'd been," she says. "I had a daughter who needed me to get back home. I had to get clean and get out, or die in prison."
Natalie quit drugs and applied for a transfer to another prison, which was granted. Within days she was in a facility in the mountains. She hoped life would get better, but in December 2002 - almost 18 months after her arrest - she was told her mum had died.
This loss made the separation from her own daughter even harder to bear. "On special occasions I could phone Nikita," she says. "By now I worried she wouldn't remember me. I longed to see her not being able to was mental torture."
At her new prison, the inmates were segregated, but violence was still rife. "The female ringleader bullied prisoners into giving her their clothes, food and water," says Natalie. "I stayed out of her way and luckily she left me alone."
Other prisoners weren't so lucky. "One woman was raped by other women using a broom handle. She was hospitalised for months," Natalie recalls.
Three years into her incarceration, Natalie felt a glimmer of hope when she met José Guedez, a 23-year-old guard. They started chatting and, against the odds, became lovers.
A few months later, Natalie became eligible for day release. She could work outside the prison, then return in the evening. She got a job in a local hairdressing salon, but behind the scenes she and José were organising passports and plotting her escape.
And on a June morning in 2005, she left prison for the last time. "I wanted to be home with my daughter, whatever the risks to get there," she says. "I looked as if I was going to work, but I was going on the run. My heart was beating so hard, I thought it would burst from my chest."
She met José and boarded the first of many buses towards the Colombian border. "Every time we arrived at a checkpoint I expected to be caught, but we were waved through," she says.
Two days later, Natalie and José boarded a flight from Bogotá to Madrid in Spain. "I worried that my name must be on some international 'Wanted' database, so we got a boat from Santander to the UK, guessing we'd have an easier time with immigration at a seaport," Natalie recalls.
They got through unhindered, and she got ready to meet her daughter for the first time in four years. But the reunion was bittersweet.
"Nikita was playing in Eve's garden and she looked so grown up at first I didn't recognise her. I got closer and realised this beautiful girl was my baby. I could barely breathe. I'd played this moment over in my mind a million times then she looked at me and there wasn't a glimmer of recognition.
"I told her I was Natalie and she stayed blank, then her face broke into a huge smile. She said: 'Are you my Mummy?', then hugged me. I thought my heart would melt."
Gradually, Natalie spent more and more time with her. A few weeks later, she secured a rented flat with José, and Natalie moved in too, with Eve's blessing. "I was lucky our friendship had remained so strong - she is an amazing woman," she says, adding they're still very close.
Reunited with her daughter, Natalie got a job as a secretary and set about rebuilding her life. "I wanted to be a mother Nikita could be proud of," she says.
Unfortunately, the relationship with José didn't last and he returned home, although they split on good terms.
Natalie concentrated on her relationship with Nikita, now 12, until she met Jason, a 32-year-old mechanic.
"I didn't tell him about my background at first. I was embarrassed and ashamed. But when I did, he accepted my past without a flinch, which is incredible," she says.
The couple are now engaged and have a one-year-old son, Brandon. It's a happy ending Natalie didn't dare dream of during her incarceration. With no extradition treaty with Britain, Natalie doesn't have to return to Venezuela or complete her sentence here.
Natalie doesn't expect sympathy, but hopes her story will act as a warning to others. "I'm lucky," she says quietly. "Nikita and I don't talk much about what happened. Maybe one day we will, we'll have to. I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make up for what I put her through. But for now, I'm grateful to have a second chance."
Sentenced To Hell by Natalie Welsh (Sphere, £11.99) is available now.
Letter from Natalie to her friend Eve, September 2001
"Is
Nikita all right? I'll never forgive myself for putting her through this. I
punish myself every day. My only memory is of the last time I saw her and
all the bad things I put her through. Why can't I find any good memories?
Are there any? I pray I haven't messed up Nikita's head. Does she know I'm
in prison? If not, where does she think I am? Does she know when I'm coming
home? Eve, I really think I'm going to be in here for a long time. I miss
everyone from England loads."
Letter from Natalie to Nikita, October 2002
"Hello
Nikita, I want you to know that I love you very much and that because I
can't see you I am sad. I hope you are being a good girl for Eve and I hope
you're happy. I'm sorry I've made you sad. Please don't stop loving me. I
think of you every day and will do until I see you again."
Extracted from Sentenced To Hell © Natalie Welsh 2009 (Sphere, £11.99)
PHOTOGRAPHY: ALICIA CLARKE, THE TIMES HAIR & MAKE-UP: CAROLINE PIASECKI NATALIE WEARS: DRESS, MONSOON
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This article has 36 comments
I have not yet read the book, but am going to buy it.
Writing a book is a lengthy and time-consuming task and hence you get paid for it.
Yes the decision to take drugs, which many with terrible childhoods have avoided (but everyone is different and some people have more strength and common sense than others), and the selfishness of Natalie's actions, especially taking her daughter on the drugs run, and the later implications when she was caught were very, very wrong.
However to say that anyone short of a violent person, rapist or murderer should be put in danger of violence, rape and murder is just downright cruel.
Clearly Natalie did a very stupid thing, paid heavily for it, and is now working to secure a good future for her family. I don't see why she shouldn't keep the money paid to her for the book in order to acheive this security for her children, and I hope that Natalie will continue to devote her time and energy to trying and put others off taking such a destructive path.
I shall reserve further comments until I have read the book.
By E Glos.. Posted November 9 2009 at 2:49 AM.
what natalie did she has paid for in a terrible way just to have to say goodbye to her daughter whilst she was in prison would have been enough for a lot of people to have ended theirs lives there and then, i have just finished the book and it is brilliant, it deserves to become a film and i wish natalie all the best for the future and hope you DO make a lot of money for yourself and family you have paid for your crime and deserve a good and healthy life, well done & good luck.
By Ray brown.. Posted October 4 2009 at 8:39 AM.
no 1 is perfect we all fall short of gods glory good effort 2 write a book and turn her life around
By stacy.. Posted October 4 2009 at 6:41 AM.
I ve just finished reading the book and was reading some comments that people have made. I wish everyone would give Natalie Welsh a break. She states throughout the book time after time that she realises she made a mistake. Ok, admitingly this was a huge mistake but dont you agree that life is about making mistakes and learning from them. She surely seems to have learned from her terrible ordeal. And who cares if she did profit from the book, its her story that she wanted to tell people, whether it was to educate people or not. I found it very intesting. Good luck to her.
By Gavin.. Posted September 29 2009 at 4:20 PM.
i dont know who natalie is, this is a totally outside perspective. im not one to judge people, everyone has a story to tell. but it does rile me the way that for some stupid reason people think a book is goin to turn others lives around or warn them of the path theyre takin. im sure whenever this happened there were similar stories to be heard but it doesnt seem to have had any affect on natalie does it. my point is if thats ur life choices then so be it but i think its pretty disgustin to sit there and say *i turned my life around* what about all the decent hard working people who dont have to turn their lives around because they knew right from wrong and no matter how easy wrong might be they always tried to avoid that route. true the prison mustve been hard goin, but hello, its a prison, its supposed to be. i have no sympathy in that respect because that is how our countrys prisons should be, she thinks shes hard done by because in comparison britain is so soft. if u do the crime u should be prepared to suffer like that. life is about bein a good person and if ur willin to do somethin u know is wrong for ur own gain then thats not bein a good person is it. people need to wake up, there are kids all over the world who suffer far more than she ever will and they just smile and get on with it. i think the narrow minded people on these posts are the ones defendin natalies actions. they are most likely to be the people who have never cared to get out there and see what the world is - a cruel, harsh place with not a lot of second chances.
By laura.. Posted September 27 2009 at 1:04 PM.
This article was forwarded to me by an old colleague who knew that I had worked with Natalie when she was in care.
Natalie, I can remember you as a 15 year old. I did not work with you for long but I do remember that you had a certain emotional strength about you that I had not seen in many other young people. The choices we make can take us to bad places and, even though they were our choices to make it is the journey back that needs to be celebrated. I feel quite proud to have known you on some level.
By Nikki Underwood.. Posted August 10 2009 at 1:29 PM.
Why are people all ways so angry about things they don't truely understand, Every other comment is someone else saying "your own fault" or "cashing in". I new Natalie through her teens, no one can understand the effects drugs will have or the lengths people will go to unless they have been there them selves. To come through all of this and manage to turn her life around is an achievement beyond comprehension! I just hope the book helps put others off following the same path to self destruction. I can only imagine the strength and determination it must of taken to survive the Venezuelan prisons, and then to relive it all by writing this book is really something. Anyone thinking the sentence was diserved should look at the prisons there! We in our sheltered little corner of the world have a silver lined view of prisons thanks to our own "Holiday camp" approach. All i will say is read the book before passing judgement, my heart goes out.........
By Mike Davis.. Posted July 28 2009 at 5:57 PM.
i don't read too much but when i do i like to read true life stories like this one. its crazy sometimes how people get into a world of hurt.
Reading this story i felt angry, sad and happy in that order, i dont have any bad feelings toward natalie and i dont think anyone should s**t happens.
I hope after this life changing journey that they are happy and leading a normal life now.
By mushyc.. Posted July 24 2009 at 2:26 AM.
I would just like to make it clear that no monies were involvde in this article, and albeit there has been some money involved in the book, that was not, and has never been my motivation. In fact due to my publicity surrounding my book I have since had to resign from my job, and as the country is aware, now is not the best time to gain new employment, especially with a background like mine.
As I have said before, my reason were to education people, and hopefully save some people from making the same stupid mistakes that I did.
As far as my daughter is concerned, this is something that we spoke about in depth before going ahead with the whole project. I discuss with her before I agree to do any interviews, and have declined some because of the possible effect that it could have on her. Luckily she goes to a well educated school, and has had no negativity aimed at her because of this.
For those of you that dismiss me, whilst I'm not justifying what I did, this is the whole point of writing the book. A chain reaction of events that started whilst I was a child lead me down this path, and if you read the book , then you may understand a little more how this can happen to people. Contrary to believe, people don't just wake up one day and decide they want to start taking drugs and ruining thier lives.
By Naalie Welsh.. Posted July 16 2009 at 5:22 PM.
i meant respect for themselves and their families
By sarah.. Posted July 15 2009 at 11:24 AM.
drugs drugs drugs-why dont any of these kids have any self respect and respect for themselves
wake up
By sarah.. Posted July 15 2009 at 11:14 AM.
I know Natalie, have known her for some years and whilst part of me thinks she got everything she deserved and also when she came back to the UK she was far from innocent, still committing crimes, albeit minor, nevertheless part of me thinks "fair play to you.". Not many people would have got through all of this and come out the other end. You can't change the past and i'm sure that whilst she is pleased to make some money out of all of this she appears to be a changed person and hopefully her new life will take her away from the drugs scene altogether.
By Nik Hill.. Posted July 14 2009 at 4:04 PM.
I read through the whole of it and thought it was great she had the coruage to stop the drug use, not many poeple ahcually have that sort of will power and liek the old clesha goes you learn from your mistakes, so instead of hating on her for this why not realise she may have hjelped poeple through this book and i think anyone would keep the money .. resession people !
By chelsea.. Posted July 13 2009 at 6:52 PM.
I have just finished reading the book and was extremeley moved by it. At no point does she try to blame others for her stupid behaviour - she acknowledges that what she did was utterly selfish. The tragic thing is that drug addiction makes you totally selfish and brain washes you - as she said herself - crack came before anyone or anything - including Nikita. I absolutely agree that drugs are bad things but the problem is that they make you feel great (at the beginning) which is why people take them and then they are flighteningly addictive and take hold over you so even when you don't enjoy it anymore you still do it because the cravings are so strong.
I think Natalie deserved to go to prison and I probably think that if she hadn't, she'd probably be dead or still addicted so in many ways it was a saving grace.
Well done for making an example of yourself - I am sure that you will continue to support Prisoners Abroad, who supported you whilst you were in Venezuala.
I hope that lots of people read your book and that your stupid mistakes might put others from doing the same.
By robyn .. Posted July 13 2009 at 9:17 AM.
has she not thought about the effects this story and photos will have on Nikita, as she goes to the local school im sure people are looking at her and talking about her mum, you have to feel sorry for Nikita.
By sarah.. Posted July 9 2009 at 10:46 PM.
why do people take drugs when they have got kids, then worry bout them, its easy dont do drugs full time, i hear natalie got paid for this story, dont you thing it would be nice if she put the money to help other people and not lining her own pocket. And yes, before anyone says maybe she took drugs because of her background, bull, how many people do you know who havent had the best start in life, yet they didnt turn to drugs.
By sarah.. Posted July 9 2009 at 9:06 PM.
So so glad you 're back. Was so hard after mum died with no female figure to talk to x
By K.. Posted July 9 2009 at 12:45 AM.
hazza sounds just like alan, as usual dissolving any blame onto others.
By guessing.. Posted July 8 2009 at 8:09 PM.
there are evil men out there who are determined to cash in on pretty vulnerable young girls, offering them the world to do their dirty work. i think natalies a hero for turning her life around, and besides, she has every right to warn other young people about the dangers of drug smuggling..i definately will be buying her book.
By abbie collier.. Posted July 8 2009 at 5:51 PM.
I have known Natalie all her life, her Mum was a very good friend of mine. This book is captavating and for me fits the jig-saw pieces together, to complete the story. I knew it was bad for Natalie in Venezuala, I heard and got updates from her Mum regularly, but never realised how terrible it must have really been. She has paid her price in more ways than enough, and I for one know Natalie has written her book not for monatary gain, but for her reasons stated. Natalie learnt and grew whilst she was away, she fought hard to get back to her daughter, and wants for the right reasons to warn others, not to do what she did while she was in the clutches of drugs. I wish her Mum was alive to see how Natalie has changed, what a credit she is, and how strength and determination reunited Natalie with her daughter. Yes Natalie did wrong, paid dearly, - nearly with her own life, God bless you Natalie, and well done. X
By a family friend.. Posted July 8 2009 at 11:05 AM.
maybe she wrote the book to be able to give her children a better life instead of turning to drugs; did any of you small minded people think of that; good on you natalie and best of luck for the future i am sure you did learn a very hard lesson and lots of people support your decision to write a book to stop others from making the same mistakes!!!!!!!!
By debbie.. Posted July 6 2009 at 2:38 PM.
How narrow minded some people can be. The reason for the book was to help people not get into the same situation that I did. I was young and naive and did not have the family support that obviously some of the readers have. Money has never been my motivation in writing this book. I realise my actions were stupid, and the aim of the book is to stop people making the same mistake that I did, and also to educate people like yourselves, to show how this path in life can be taken and the circumstances that lead to it. Finally, I want to give people hope, and make people understand that even when you think there is no way out, it is possible to turn your life around. As no there wasn't a payment for this interview, as I said, contrary to belief, I wrote this book for moral reasons. I hope that none of you have anyone close to you that ever has to through anything like what I went through, because despite your negative comments, I only want to educate you.
By Natalie Welsh.. Posted July 6 2009 at 8:18 AM.
I am disgusted by some of the narrow minded comments from people.
These people judging probably have kids that don't feel they can talk to their parents and are probably out doing drugs and having sex behind their parents backs.
It's easy to judge when in the comfort of ur own safe little world, complete with a family and support network.
All it takes is being in the wrong place at the wrong time or making a wrong decision to change ur life completely and irrevocably.
Life experiences can cause people to turn to drugs if they know no other way to deal with their problems.
I turned to substance misuse at the age of 11 after the death of my mother and growing up with an alcoholic father.
Luckily I haven't ended up in jail, but my point is that Natalie isn't trying to cash in on her experience, she is trying to raise awareness of the dangers of drugs and criminal activity.
If this story makes only one child think twice or seek help it'll be worth it. Children need to be educated on the reality of drugs, not just frightened into trying things out in secret.
Natalie isn't asking for sympathy, she was punished enough for her crime and become a better person due to her experiences. What good would sending her back there do for anyone?
Fairplay to you Nat, I knew you before the drugs, during and now afterwards, and I for one am proud of you.
It takes courage to share failures and shortcomings with close friends, let alone open them out for public debate.
By Manya.. Posted July 6 2009 at 12:30 AM.
What does Natalie want??? A medal????
Her own stupidity got her into the mess in the first place and probably cost her mother her life!!
Warning to other naive ladies, drugs is not the answer!!!!!
By Hazza.. Posted July 5 2009 at 10:16 PM.
Enjoyed the story-good luck to Natalie for turning her life around-basically this has happened because she broke the law,was caught ,convicted and sentenced to a custodial sentence in South America in a very unpleasant prison. In this country if she was convicted of a similar offence an army of "do gooders" would have ensured that the punishment was minimal due to her family commitments,possibility of taking overdoses etc and presumably her chaotic lifestyle would have continued as normal-Many overseas countries do emphasise that punishment is there to deter any future offences and this seems to have worked in Natalies situation.
By Anthony Shelton.. Posted July 5 2009 at 10:11 PM.
Why is the government not putting her on the first plane back there
she is a convicted criminal who hasnt completed their sentance. How many uk kids could have OD'd on the drugs she was smuggling
this isnt eastenders its real life and some of you are so sad for suporting this criminal. and she took her kid with her to mask her being a drugs mule.
shame on you for publishing this story and not even questing her motives in anyway
i hope a large proportion of the income from this gets given to a drugs awareness charity, i didnt see any mention of that in the article
By Richie.. Posted July 5 2009 at 10:08 PM.
too many local small minded idiots leaving comments. get out of your little lives and wake up to life. things happen and people forgive. I support natalie 100% and wish her the best in life and am glad she is able to talk about and share her awful story with us all. Shame so many muppets can not see this. One strong lady deserves great respect for what she has done. Anyone with other views should keep them to themselves. Well done and keep your head high natalie.
By james cathedral.. Posted July 5 2009 at 6:21 PM.
Can i just ask if The News Of The World made a payment for this story?
By Darren.. Posted July 5 2009 at 5:19 PM.
Also, I for one would buy her book, it's not "cashing in", it's letting people know about her experiences and opening peoples mind to what's going on in the world. Was Agatha Christie cashing in on her imagination too?
By Siobhan.. Posted July 5 2009 at 4:14 PM.
You lot are so narrow-minded! What she done was wrong, but I am so happy she has got her life back on track and has two beautiful children. Thank god for the prison guard that helped her break free. Once you've lived a day in her shoes and been what she's been through then you can be all self righteous, but until then, mature and learn about forgiveness/rehabilitation!
By Siobhan.. Posted July 5 2009 at 4:13 PM.
I think you are all missing the point here. Of course she knows what she did is wrong, but the story is about making a mistake and paying the ultimate price. How many of us have done something we wish we could change or take back? I for one will buy the book as this is a true story about somebody hitting rock bottom and slowly gripping their way back again.
Maybe writing the book was a way to deal with all the awful things that must haunt her mind. If she makes some money for her and her daughter then even better.
By Juniper.. Posted July 5 2009 at 4:02 PM.
No sympathy - I'm not here to cast judgment on her from a moral point of view with regard to being involved with drugs, but anyone who gets involved in smuggling like this and takes such risks in a strange country is just a moron and deserves everything they get.
By Alex.. Posted July 5 2009 at 11:14 AM.
Why is it every time someone gets done for drugs running in a foreign place and go to prison there is always either a programme on TV or a book for those criminals to cash in. Its disgusting.
By Elaine Daley.. Posted July 5 2009 at 12:04 PM.
You have nothing to be proud of.
By Trisha.. Posted July 5 2009 at 2:05 PM.
When I saw the headline, I instantly thought, I bet you she has written a book about it and is cashing in...... when I reached the end i was not surprised.
By Lyla.. Posted July 5 2009 at 10:00 AM.
i hate people like this - if you turned your life round good for you but writing a book about it just another way of cashing in. drug running hardly an achievement!
By dinesh.. Posted July 5 2009 at 8:47 AM.