Seychelles: The island paradise held prisoner by heroin

Some 10% of the section colonisation successful the tropical land federation of Seychelles is babelike connected heroin successful what is present an epidemic, according to the country's government. Even being locked distant offers nary extortion for those babelike connected the drug. BBC Africa Eye gained uncommon entree to the main jailhouse to witnesser the crisp extremity of a occupation threatening to overwhelm the country.

Nestled connected the apical of a hill, surrounded by beauteous views of the Indian water is Montagne Posée Prison, Seychelles' main correctional facility.

Seychelles is simply a state of contradictions, but still, it is hard to reconcile these breathtaking vistas with what lies within.

At the entranceway to the spot wherever the prisoners are kept, aft going done galore locked gates and passing miles of coiled barbed wire, determination is simply a four-metre-high mural of Nelson Mandela, painted connected the bureau artifact wall.

Beside the smiling look of the precocious South African president - who was of people a captive himself - determination is simply a punctuation which reads: "It is said that nary 1 knows a federation until 1 has been wrong its jails."

And it is existent that successful galore ways this situation is simply a reflection of what is going connected successful Seychelles beyond its luxury five-star branding.

We are present to conscionable 1 of the inmates, Jude Jean, but the BBC squad is archetypal taken to what the prisoners archer america is simply a spot of a amusement compartment for visitors. It is cleanable but cramped.

There are 8 beds, 4 connected each broadside - 1 atop the different without abstraction to beryllium up straight. In the aforesaid country determination is simply a toilet and ablution - privateness is not a thing.

Nearby are the soiled and dilapidated kitchens. Rotting food guts clog the drain, the stench is overpowering but the flies are enjoying the feast.

Then determination is the main cellblock. The acheronian is overwhelming. It is aboriginal day yet determination is nary daylight, tiny bulbs successful a adjacent corridor formed a anemic light. The prisoners usage cardboard boxes to make privateness down the bars of their open-fronted cells. Some of them are truthful tiny they look much similar cages and determination are soiled mattresses connected the floor.

The heroin occupation besides lurks successful the acheronian arsenic people A narcotics travel done these cells.

Prison offers nary extortion from what is happening outside.

Seychelles is facing what is present an epidemic.

It is estimated that astir 10% of the Seychellois colonisation is hooked connected heroin. So overmuch truthful that overseas workers are having to beryllium brought successful to bash the enactment that drug-dependent locals cannot.

In the jail, Tanzanian guards are rotated onto the unit successful an effort to stem corruption and the travel of heroin into the cells - but it is not working.

Even President Wavel Ramkalawan admits the situation is not acceptable for purpose.

"When you person specified a mess, this is the breeding crushed for corruption connected the portion of the officers. And erstwhile you person corruption, past drugs volition proceed to participate prison," helium tells the BBC from State House successful the capital, Victoria, adding that helium is readying to physique a caller jail.

He acknowledges that "the cause concern is precise bad".

"At this constituent successful time, per capita, arsenic acold arsenic depletion of heroin is concerned, Seychelles is fig 1 successful the world. And this is not a statistic that gives maine personally large pleasure."

It is visitors' time successful the situation and Jude, who is connected remand for theft, is waiting for his mother.

The household country is extracurricular - it's a factual courtyard surrounded by wire-mesh fencing with integrative furniture.

Jude is likable - lukewarm and friendly, assured but humble. He is besides babelike connected drugs.

"I'm ashamed to accidental but you know, I'm an addict," helium tells us, "and it's not easy."

Today arsenic helium takes his seat, his eyelids look excessively dense for him. Despite being successful prison, helium has managed to get his heroin hole that morning, arsenic good arsenic a fewer spliffs.

Jude has been successful and retired of situation for much than a decade, mostly for theft to provender his habit.

His parent Ravinia has had to header with this, arsenic good arsenic different unspeakable tragedy.

She is simply a bubbly woman; her grin lights up the country and her laughter is larger than life.

She worked hard for years moving a fast-food outlet, trying to supply for her 4 children and springiness them a bully life.

But heroin took each of that away.

In 2011 Ravinia's eldest lad Tony was recovered hanged. His decease remains a mystery, but Tony was heavy progressive successful heroin, and she has nary uncertainty the 2 are linked. She does not judge helium took his ain life.

As she speaks, she looks a cardinal miles away, symptom and disorder etched crossed her face.

To this time she is baffled arsenic to however not 1 but 2 of her sons went down this path.

"Even if you archer maine not to blasted myself, I person to blasted myself," she says. And truthful galore mothers crossed the state consciousness the same.

When Ravinia sees Jude, her temper and grin brighten.

"I'm blessed to spot you my son," she says arsenic she hugs him tightly.

"I'm blessed to spot you excessively Mum," Jude beams back.

As they beryllium down she tells us: "You cognize we talk, adjacent though I cognize helium lies to maine sometimes, we talk, we are friends!"

But the strain soon shows. As she breaks down successful tears, Jude wipes distant his own, and tells her: "Be beardown mum, beryllium strong."

She is Jude's stone and you tin spot however overmuch it means to him, but implicit the years helium has tested her.

"We don't person immoderate of the thing nowadays due to the fact that it's each gone. He adjacent took my chequebook and started [writing] cheques," she explains.

"He took everything… I retrieve erstwhile we didn't adjacent person furniture sheets. Everything helium saw, helium conscionable took it and sold it for drugs."

The archetypal clip Jude went to situation Ravinia was relieved, but her respite was short-lived, she says it is arsenic if she had sent him to "a schoolhouse for criminals".

While helium was inside, Ravinia was besides forced to money her son's cause wont arsenic helium "was taking drugs connected credit".

She says she "had to wage due to the fact that they would nonstop radical to cod their money" and they would marque threats. . Its Jude who told them, spell to my parents, they volition wage for me.

"They endanger you. They accidental that they volition termination him."

It is not mislaid connected Jude however fortunate helium is to person specified a mother.

"Thank you, mum, for ever being there, I cognize with you there, 1 time I volition beryllium a amended person, I privation to beryllium a amended person."

"Do it earlier it's excessively late," Ravinia tells him done her tears.

Jude promises her helium volition marque a change. She is not convinced but volition not springiness up connected him.

Jail is not the perfect spot to retrieve but it is not impossible. It does person a methadone programme, which tin beryllium utilized to dainty heroin dependency, and immoderate constricted counselling sessions but Jude has got to privation to bash it.

Methadone is besides disposable to users extracurricular prison. It is escaped to anyone who is registered, specified is the grade of the epidemic.

In Victoria, each greeting a bespoke achromatic van with a organisation model connected its broadside makes respective stops astir the city, wherever agelong queues signifier arsenic radical from each walks of beingness hold to get their medicine.

Surprisingly, successful a federation held hostage by heroin, methadone is the lone accordant enactment disposable to cause users.

For galore Seychellois though, this regular dose is thing much than a escaped greeting deed which is incredibly dangerous. Using methadone and heroin astatine the aforesaid clip tin pb to a fatal overdose.

Taking methadone without a detox program and counselling is seldom a bully semipermanent betterment solution. Despite this, governmental decisions person led to the closure of each residential rehabilitation centres crossed the islands.

The president, who has been successful bureau for 2 years now, blames his predecessors for the deficiency of overmuch needed in-patient care.

He says that authorities got successful the mode of dealing with the contented nether the erstwhile administration.

"But we person received a assistance from the UAE to physique a due rehabilitation centre. And truthful we are going successful that direction," Mr Ramkalawan says.

Heroin mostly comes into Seychelles from Afghanistan and Iran by vessel - done its vast, porous h2o borders. With astir a cardinal quadrate kilometres of territorial seas, smugglers person casual access.

Once it makes land, it is mostly sold retired of small, improvised shops astatine the backmost of people's homes successful the country's galore ghettos.

It is fundamentally a cottage industry, and full communities are involved.

Drive 5 minutes disconnected immoderate main thoroughfare - past the fancy hotels and costly restaurants - and you tin spot for yourself. This cause is everywhere, and the fearfulness is, worse is yet to come.

While heroin remains the beforehand runner, for present astatine slightest due to the fact that it is comparatively cheap, determination are caller players connected the market.

Crack cocaine and crystal meth are some opening to beryllium utilized and neither cause tin beryllium treated with methadone.

In prison, a fewer days aft his mother's visit, Jude decides to marque bully connected his committedness and springiness betterment different go.

He is taking a large measurement and trying to registry for the prison's methadone programme - but not everyone qualifies.

Jude arrives astatine the situation aesculapian centre visibly high. When the caregiver tests his urine for heroin, it is nary astonishment erstwhile it comes backmost positive.

He is told helium indispensable halt utilizing the cause altogether to beryllium admitted onto the methadone programme. He agrees.

The adjacent time helium queues with his chap inmates and takes his archetypal dose.

Jude is besides enrolled onto a counselling programme to springiness him the champion accidental astatine getting well.

His parent Ravinia is not holding her breath, she's been disappointed truthful galore times earlier - but she is praying hard - that this clip it sticks.