Did Billy Hayes ever return to Turkey?
Did Billy Hayes ever return to Turkey?
‘Midnight Express’ Hash Smuggler Billy Hayes on His Remorseful Return to Turkey. The film ‘Midnight Express’ did lasting damage to Turkey’s reputation. Billy Hayes writes about revisiting the place he was imprisoned, as chronicled in the doc ‘Midnight Return. ‘
What is the true story about Billy Hayes?
Billy Hayes (born April 3, 1947) is an American writer, actor, and film director. He is best known for his autobiographical book Midnight Express about his experiences in and escape from a Turkish prison, after being convicted of smuggling hashish.
Why was Billy Hayes in Turkey?
Hayes was arrested and jailed for trying to smuggle 4 ½ pounds of hashish out of Turkey in 1970. Caught at the airport as he was about to board his US bound plane, Hayes subsequently spent five years in jail in Turkey. He escaped from prison and upon his return to the US wrote a novel titled Midnight Express.
How did Billy Hayes escape Turkish?
Hayes, an American student, was caught trying to smuggle four pounds of hashish out of Turkey on October 7, 1970. Hayes escaped from İmralı on October 2, 1975, taking a rowboat at night to Bandirma, blending in with locals, and then heading westbound across the border to Greece.
What happened to Billy Hayes in Turkey?
Hayes was imprisoned at Sağmalcılar prison in Istanbul after having spent one night in Sultanahmet Jail. On May 12, 1975, the Turkish Constitutional Court declared amnesty for all drug offenses, which shortened Hayes’ sentence from life to 30 years; he was transferred to İmralı prison on July 11, 1975.
What is Billy Hayes famous for?
Billy Hayes (born April 3, 1947) is an American writer, actor, and film director. He is best known for his autobiographical book Midnight Express, about his experiences in and escape from a Turkish prison after being convicted of smuggling hashish.
Why did Billy Hayes go to jail in Midnight Express?
Moments in U.S. Diplomatic History. The 1978 movie “Midnight Express,” based on a book by Billy Hayes, and adapted into a screenplay by Oliver Stone, shows Hayes’ arrest for trafficking in hashish, his beatings and the squalid prison conditions. Though originally sentenced to a relatively mild four years, just two months before his release date,…
What happened to Billy Hayes after five years in jail?
After five years, he made a dash for freedom – and, as it happened, a fair degree of fame. Billy Hayes spent five years in jail in Istanbul for smuggling hashish. Somehow, he can see the funny side of the experience.Credit:Penny Stephens. “Most guys coming out of jail, it’s a tough road,” he says.
