Milford Mercury | Local News, Sport & Entertainment

Drug charge brothers speak out

From the Milford Mercury, first published Friday 20th Jun 2003.

TWO Milford Haven brothers languishing in a cockroach-infested Portuguese prison have spoken exclusively to the Mercury about their situation. Writing from their cell in Faro prison, Andrew and Graham Stow talk about: their anger and frustration at the Portuguese law system; the disgusting conditions of the prisons; their determination to clear their names of drug smuggling charges; how the crucial support of their family has kept them going; their admiration for their father Dilwyn and his tireless efforts to bring them home.

The brothers have now been behind bars for four years but can vividly remember their feelings as they settled into prison life: "The three of us (Andrew, Graham and their African crew member Charlie) shared an eight man cell with five other Portuguese, all junkies!

"At that time 80% of the prisoners were hooked on heroin, and it showed. These people were in a dreadful state, aged beyond belief with no teeth.

At the same time almost all of them have HIV or full blown AIDS from sharing their needles.

"Then, of course, they all get sick, cold turkey sick. Fights break out all over the place, for no reason at all, tempers just fly."

Keeping drug addicts out of their cell wasn't the only fight the brothers faced: "We also spent a lot of time and effort in our 'war' against cockroaches. At first, the cell was totally infested, in the first months it was common to splatter 30 or 40 each before going to sleep.

"Often one would wake us up, scuttling across our chests or running up your arm in the dark."

Since those difficult first few weeks the brothers have seen trials and appeals come and go and are now looking to take their case to the constitutional court and then on to Europe.

They said: "That, Europe, is where our hopes lie. In Portugal it's simple, we cannot now expect this conviction to be overturned, it would cost them millions. Outside of Portugal we expect to see European laws enforced. Then we can expect a fair trial. Until then we wait, with four years practice we are good at waiting!"

With time on their hands, the brothers set themselves a punishing routine of fitness which they follow every morning in the baking Portuguese heat. "We read a couple of books all about the SAS training so we copied out of that, just to pass the time.

"Each morning we both run 15km, we complete 1000 press-ups and 1000 stomach sit-ups, all in the 35 degree heat. Then it's an hour boxing with big Russians, ouch!"

The long afternoons and evenings are taken up by reading and contacting their families back home in Pembrokeshire. The brothers said: "They are who keep us strong. When they are alright, we can cope with anything they throw at us in here. We phone them every single day.

"We don't think the people of Milford Haven realise what sort of man they have walking the streets there. Our father has supported our fight from the very beginning, up to the present day.

"This quiet man has lobbied so many important people, who, after looking at this case gave us their full support too. We would suggest that when people of Milford Haven see Dilwyn in the street they should stop and shake his hand, and wish to have half of this man's strength of character. We personally cannot thank him enough for what he's done for us."

Andrew and Graham added that they have kept every letter ever sent to them and they would like to thank the writers for "keeping the fires burning inside."

They said: "Each one means a great deal to us. We are not dead, we are still alive and kicking. Until this fight here is conquered."

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