Lecumberri the Black Palace

AMERICAN COCAINE SMUGGLERS FIND THEMSELVES MOROONED FOR YEARS IN THE INFAMOUS LECUMBERRI PRISON. LOTS OF EXTORSION, HUNGER STRIKE, HEROIN, SMOKE, ALCOHOL AND PILLS. IN LECUMBERRI YOU COULD HAVE ANYTHNG BUT A WALK IN THE PARK. LET CHICO TAKE YOU TO A WORLD FEW CAN IMAGINE, FEW CAN REMEMBER AND FEWER STILL ALIVE THAT WERE THERE. Serious serious comedy

Lecumberri was a Mexican Prison. Opened in 1900 and as I am a witness closed August 26, 1976. I arrived on August 24, 1972 around noon. We Americans as well everyone, find ourselves in a world of payoffs, mordidas, bribes, daily handouts, rent on cells, fees for using the shower, a hotplate, a raffle, or other cheap, overt ways to milk money from a captive audience. You have no choice. Most Mexicans hate the place because they, a family member, friend, read something or know someone imprisoned in the Most Expensive Hotel. Many Americans are in Lecumberri. Bastards of the "War on Drugs." Small time drug smugglers. Most are simply mules (People so broke they decided to risk their tomorrow, and smuggle some Cocaine today.) That inefficient "War on Drugs," that imprisoned mostly nobody's for years, while big time evolving drug cartels were in the process of flooding the USA markets with cheaper and cheaper powder. A select few are becoming billionaires. No billionaire Americans in Lecumberri. Most to the disappointment of prison rulers were broke. Broke doesn't cover it. Destitute, beggars for long term funding with virtually no way to make money to cushion the dilemma in another country as well another world. To me, many times it was easier to look the prison as a spaceship, going nowhere fast with spring driven robots for visits Most of the time it's just prisoners and staff, in a world that Satan, Lucifer, the Devil, Dark Knight and most commonly known as the "Asshole that runs the Place," runs this place. Then again, with all my contact with prisons and prisoners, no one I can remember has said, "Dog, what a great warden we have." Stranded Americans, who sorta rebel, sorta have a hunger strike and sorta cry 24 hours a day. Most only know 4 words. Where is my mommie ? I know I wanted my mommie, Uncle Grap, Tia Gordita, President of the Losers Are Losers Fellowship,or anyone out there who wants to, take me home. I can speak for the group when I say, "None of us had a clue as to what getting caught with cocaine in Mexico would involve, the kind of life we would have to live, what surviving the experience would mean and put your poor about to be warped PSYCHE through. The best and most brief way to sum up us foreigners as well all "presos" in Lecumberri, would be draw a line in the dirt and ask the winners to cross it. Fools Watching Losers Watching Fools. That's funny, but not that funny. Lecumberri is a world of betrayal, snitches, and sorry SOB's, with lots of stabbings, beatings, murders, drug dealing, making alcohol and extortion. Chico, will be the tour guide. Another LOSER but a reluctant one at that. Trying to get some good out of the experience that was Lecumberri, the Black Palace, and to many the "Most Expensive Hotel." Most did agree it could be called HELL. After all, JAILS were not set up to resemble HEAVEN. I call it EVERYTHING and I call it Nothing. I'd love to visit it as a tourist and I wish they would have completely torn it down. Lane Ryan

I, Lane Ryan was in Lecumberri from August 24, 1972 noon, to around noon August 26, 1976. After so many years, retired, and needing to get the experience out of my head, I've taken my notes, memories and written it down. I'm not looking for some parting of the sea, just do what I've wanted to do for years. For better or worse I did it. I could write 10 books about the place and still not cover this crazy place completely. Everyone here could write a book. This was a growing experience and more. I've had to look at me and a Mexican Prison in a different light than several decades ago. Six people successfully escaped Lecumberri that I personally knew. I comment on all of them. What days they were. Utter boredom interrupted by shear terror interrupted by utter boredom. Looking back, it's almost like walking through a dense fog and arriving at a Mexican Twilight Zone. As a person, I feel I will never get rid of the scar of Lecumberri. Who cares! The real story is the Prison, all the people and a crazy reject, fashioned after myself., EL CHICO. Trying to navigate a prison; find and make something beneficial and understanding out of the experience that was "Lecumberri The Black Palace." I put myself in the Palace. I have no one to blame, that will step forward and do my time for me, even though it was my father, mother, peer group, friends and everything else in my life that really made me do it. OH well and poor me, myself and I. Peace and Love and Roll Another, Lane Ryan