Former south London drug dealer reveals how he turned his life of crime around

Quince Garcia reveals in a candid interview with the Evening Standard how he "gave up the game" and left life on a London estate behind
Alexandra Richards14 April 2018

“I was a boy with no self-esteem, no confidence, I felt like society didn’t want me.”

These are the words of 39-year-old Quince Garcia who at 18 became a drug-dealer on London’s streets for more than a decade.

It was the birth of his second child at 28 made him want to turn his life around.

The father-of-three who was raised on an estate in Camberwell, south London, in the 80s has candidly revealed to the Standard what enabled him to turn his life around after three stints in prison.

His former life of crime involved selling guns, drugs, and carrying out burglaries, he said.

Mr Garcia made repeated attempts to alter his life including attending college and getting a part time job, but it wasn’t until he had a mental episode at University that he felt he was able to pursue his ambitions of a career in film.

Mr Garcia made repeated attempts to leave his life of crime behind him

“My dad was in prison a lot, my mum brought us up mainly on her own…She tried really hard,” he said.

He continued: “I felt like I wasn’t on the smart side of society I knew that my life was going to be one where I had to find a way out of being poor.”

After committing minor burglaries in his youth, Mr Garcia began selling drugs shortly after he left school.

At the age of 17 he started selling cannabis on Camberwell's Vestry Estate and says he couldn’t see any other options for himself.

“I didn't feel capable of doing a job that I really wanted to do….I didn't feel like society wanted me,” he said.

Mr Garcia said he suffered from low self esteem

After three months of selling cannabis, Mr Garcia moved onto selling crack cocaine after he was approached by an older drug dealer.

"He told me, ’I knew that you were going to be the person to deal for me.’ He gave me his phone with all his contacts.

“I was a boy with no self-esteem, no confidence but I was gaining false confidence by gaining money and feeling secure with money… I had an ego that made me feel untouchable,” he continued.

Mr Garcia sold drugs for 10 years. During that time he went to prison twice for illegal driving and a third time for drug possession with an intent to sell.

Recalling the exact moment he decided he wanted to leave “the game” behind, he said: “There was a guy in his thirties who used to patrol the area. I remember looking at him and thinking there’s no way I want to be like him when I'm 30.

“Still talking about drugs, still selling drugs and living in this estate.”

Mr Garcia began taking classes and eventually attended college in Westminster and Lewisham whilst continuing to sell drugs.

In 2004 he was arrested for a third time and sentenced to two and a half years in prison.

After serving just over a year of his sentence he left prison and did not return to dealing.

“I said to myself what am I going to do to ensure it doesn’t happen again?”

The birth of his second daughter made Mr Garcia want to leave his life of crime behind

During his time in prison Mr Garcia began writing a screenplay based on his own experiences.

At the age of 28, he attended University of East London and achieve a degree in film production and animation.

After university he set up his own business called Road Works Media funded by the Prince’s Trust which aimed to provide workshops for youths looking to get into employment.

Speaking at schools and businesses in south London Mr Garcia spoke to young people about his own experiences.

“I spoke to them about not being scared of failure and how important it is to be fearless,” he said.

Students who enrolled on the workshops took part in a three month programme which included CV training and cognitive behavioural therapy and ultimately ended in finding employment.

He explained how a lot of young people find it difficult to communicate how they are feeling.

Mr Garcia said that he believed the therapy was the most important aspect of the course as mental health issues in deprived areas are often overlooked.

During his time at university, Mr Garcia experienced a mental episode himself which resulted in him spending 10 days in a mental institution.

“I started to realise that I was behaving in a certain way and I was so angry” he said.

“I had a nervous breakdown and it was contributed by a lot of stuff I had done in the past and a lot of things that I was dealing with which I had repressed.

“That was the moment I broke down an old coping mechanism which was built on false securities and self-imposed conditions and narrow mindedness… Once I realised that, I realised my mental health needed to be rebuilt.”

Now Mr Garcia is a presenter and producer with production company Underworld TV and is currently working towards producing his own film about Southwark’s first black mayor Sam Beaver King.

He has already received funding from Southwark Council and aims to train three young people in film production in the process of making the movie.

Mr Garcia said he hopes he can continue to produce films and provide you people with film training.

“It’s about taking these young people under your wind and providing them with skills and networking opportunities to make them believe that they are a part of society,” he said.

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