Part II, Chapters 13-16 Summary and Analysis

In Chapter 13, "The International University of Cocaine," Thomas gets back some of his possessions from FELCN, now that he is friends with the governor. His money, gold jewelery and best clothing are not returned, but he gets his hair dryer and steamer, each worth more than $1,000. When guards conduct a routine raid of his room, they think the steamer is a bomb, and the machines are confiscated. Thomas describes the prison's economic strata, at the top of which are the biggest dealers among the inmates, such as Barbachoa, who was caught smuggling more than four tons of cocaine. The prison's middle class are tradespeople who continue to do their jobs as inmates, and the lower class are those who run errands for other inmates. Dealing cocaine from the prison is so common that it is...