Nine years ago, Kemi and Tasha Ryan were branded 'sisters of evil' after being jailed for drug smuggling. Now aged 30 and in their early 20s at release, they are working with young people in Liverpool, hoping to make a difference. 'It's really taking off, and we're incredibly proud of it,' says Tasha.
The sisters grew up in Toxteth, Liverpool, raised by their mother after their father died. After school, Tasha became a nursery nurse and Kemi studied psychiatric nursing. They moved into their own flat but became greedy, agreeing to act as drug mules for a holiday in the Caribbean. They were caught handing over a bag of cocaine worth £200,000 and sentenced to eight years in prison for conspiring to import class-A drugs.
In prison, they shared a cell at times, which they say was key to staying sane. 'We had someone we could really trust – each other,' says Tasha. They focused on getting through each day and helping other prisoners. Released in April 2007, they thought their sentence was over, but found the hardest part was yet to come.
Despite changing their surname to Ryan and wanting to work with young people, they were repeatedly turned down by employers. 'No one was ever going to trust us again – no one was ever going to give us a job,' says Tasha. They now run a youth project, using their experience to steer others away from crime.
