'I saw all sorts in Strangeways. One thing scared me more than anything'

Clutching his scratchy grey tracksuit as he followed a prison officer to his cell, reality started to sink in for Hermenegildo Dange.

The class A dealer had been jailed for more than six years on drug charges and would witness some terrifying sights while behind bars.

But nothing scared him more than seeing a drug lord cry alone in his cell – a once powerful kingpin who used to 'have it all'.

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“There’s a lot of gang activity in prison,” the 29-year-old told the Manchester Evening News. “I’ve seen all sorts.

“The most shocking thing for me was seeing the baddest of people – even people I used to look up to when I was younger – cry by themselves after prison visits.

“That was the scariest thing, even though I’ve seen people get stabbed in there.”

Hermenegildo Dange, known as Hermen, first got caught up in the 'wrong crowd' when he was just 15-years-old.

He looked up to his peers who had expensive cars and jewellery. So, when he was offered the chance to make his own money, he grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

The youngster started selling cannabis outside of school and eventually moved on to selling harder drugs.

And although he often got in trouble for petty crime, Hermen only grew more confident as his drug dealing continued to go undetected.

At the age of 18, he attempted to leave the criminal world and get a legitimate job, but was always rejected for having a criminal record.

“It was affecting me,” Hermen, who is from Collyhurst but now lives in the city centre, said. “I had all of those little warnings.

“Since I was getting knocked back from jobs, I thought I may as well carry on with crime. The temptation kept me in. I didn’t die or