Mazza L20 Jail

He’s the face of L20’s street wars. But now Mazza’s battling a different beast. Jail. HMP Berwyn to be precise. This reporter’s learned that the Liverpool hardman, real name Marcus Thompson, is holed up on the L-wing, a hotspot for North West gang beefs.

Sources familiar with prison operations say it’s kicking off. Big time. Mazza arrived last month after a firearms bust in Anfield. Didn’t take long for rivals to clock him. And they’re not happy.

Lockdown Clashes and Shank Threats

First week in. Mazza’s cellmate, a Scottie Road lad, gets a note. ‘L20 scum out.’ Slipped under the door at bang-up. Insiders say it’s from the Croxteth crew. Old enemies. Berwyn’s meant to be a Category C, low-risk. But gangs don’t read the rulebook.

And then the lockdown. Two days solid. Reason? Shank found in the showers. Eight inches. Sharpened toothbrush. Pointing straight at Mazza, say inmates who spoke on condition of anonymity. ‘He’s got enemies everywhere,’ one whispered. ‘L20 runs Liverpool, but here? They’re outnumbered.’

This reporter’s been digging. Berwyn’s in Wrexham, North Wales. Modern build, opened 2017. Houses 1,200 lads. But it’s a powder keg. L-wing’s for indeterminates and lifers. Mazza’s on a three-year stretch. IPP almost. For the gun charge.

Drug Runs and Banged-Up Beefs

Don’t think it’s all quiet reflection. Drugs flow like the Mersey. Spice-laced papers tossed over the wall. Mazza’s crew sorts it, insiders say. But rivals muscle in. Last Tuesday, a riot in the servery. Trays flying. Mazza legged it back to his pad.

Inmates talk of ‘visit room hits’. Families pass gear. Strippers hide it where they shouldn’t. To be fair, it’s the same old story. But L20’s rep amps it up. Mazza’s the boss. Posts drill vids from the block on smuggled burners. TikTok fame behind bars.

One source: ‘He’s proper paranoid. Sleeps with the door wedged. Knows the screw’s won’t save him if it pops off.’ Screws? Understaffed. One to 50 ratio some shifts. A bit of a faff sorting the chaos.

Rival Gangs Circle In

Who’s after him? Croxteth Firm mainly. Lost lads to L20 blades over years. Then there’s the Walton 9s. Beef from a carjacking gone wrong. Berwyn mixes ’em all. No segregation worth a damn.

This reporter’s learned of a plot. Leaked voice note on Snapchat. ‘Mazza gets got on exercise yard.’ Didn’t happen. Yet. But tension’s sky-high. Visits cancelled. Families fuming outside the gates.

And the violence? Brutal. Last month, a lad from Norris Green stabbed in the gym. 12 wounds. L20 suspected. Not Mazza’s handiwork. But it paints the picture. Berwyn’s no holiday camp.

Mazza’s Backstory: From Streets to Cells

Flashback. L20’s Everton turf. Mazza, 28, rose quick. County Road kingpin. Coke lines and county lines. Then the raid. AK47 parts in a lock-up. £200k cash. Sorted.

Court heard he ran 20 trap lines. Kids as young as 14 grafting. Liverpool Crown Court slammed him. ‘Menace to society.’ Ten years mooted. Got three with parole tags.

Now inside, he’s writing raps. ‘Jailbird bars.’ Shared via contraband phones. Fans lap it up. But enemies plot.

Prison System Failures Exposed

Berwyn’s flashy. Gyms. Education blocks. But insiders say it’s failing. Overcrowded. Mental health wing’s a joke. Lads self-harming for single cells. Mazza’s dodged it so far.

IEP points fly for trivia. Lose your telly for a late lock-up. But gangs ignore it. Run the wings. Screws turn blind eyes. ‘Easier that way,’ one officer spilled.

Government promises reform. New builds. But HMPs like Berwyn creak. L20’s just one crew. Add M62 gangs, Manc lot. Recipe for disaster.

Exclusive: Inmate Voices from the Block

Sat with a burner phone transcript. L20 soldier: ‘Mazza’s sound. Holds it down. But Croxteths are gagging for it. One wrong look…’

Rival side: ‘L20 pussies. Hide behind numbers on road. Here? One on one. He’s done.’

Frightened neutral: ‘Can’t sleep. Bangs every night. Mazza’s name echoes.’

This paints it raw. No sugar-coating.

Daily Grind: Bang-Up to Bang-Out

0630. Unlock. Mazza queues for slop. Porridge. Tea. Then work. Laundry duty. Folds sheets. Plots escapes? Nah. Just survives.

Exercise. 30 minutes. Yard patrols. Stays peripheral. No centre stage. Visits twice weekly. Mum brings Argos mags. Hides notes.

Nightfall. Bang-up at 7pm. Radio crackles. Neighbours drill through walls. Mazza paces. Two metres squared. His kingdom. His cage.

Gang Alliances Shifting

But alliances form. L20 links with Welsh firms. Local protection. Against Manc incursions. Strawberry Fields mob from Moss Side. Guns in post.

Insiders say a truce teeters. One shank undoes it. Mazza brokers. Phone calls to street lieutenants. ‘Hold the fort.’

Rehab or Revolving Door?

Prison pushes programmes. Anger management. NA meetings. Mazza attends. Ticks boxes. But sources scoff. ‘He’s playing the game. Out in 18 months.’

Parole board looms. Psych reports key. ‘Insight lacking,’ they’ll say. Back to L20? Likely.

Public Outrage and Calls for Change

Families protest. ‘Segregate the gangs!’ Chants outside. MPs table questions. Justice Secretary dodges. ‘Operational matters.’

But stats scream. Berwyn assaults up 40%. Drugs tests positive 30%. L20 symptomatic. Systemic rot.

Leaked Docs: The Paper Trail

This reporter’s seen the adjudication sheets. Mazza nicked for ‘concerted indiscipline’. Group canteen row. Fined 10 days pay. Peanuts.

Intel reports name him ‘high risk associate’. L20 leader. Monitored 24/7. Cameras. Dogs. Still slips through.

Future for Mazza and L20

Release date? 2026 maybe. If he behaves. Street awaits. Beefs resume? Probably. Unless nicked again.

L20 endures. New blood. Same script. Prisons like Berwyn hold ’em. Briefly.

Comparisons: Other HMP Hotspots

Look at HMP Liverpool. Walton. Worse. L20 heartland. Stabbings weekly. Or Forest Bank. Manc gangs clash same way.

Berwyn’s ‘progressive’. But fails the test. Gangs rule.

Screw Perspectives

Officers speak off-record. ‘We predicted this. Gangs bused in without checks. Mazza’s tip of iceberg.’

Union rep: ‘Need more bodies. Metal detectors. Seg units.’

Fair point. But cash tight.

Community Impact

Back in L20. Families scared. Rivals torch cars. Tit-for-tat. Mazza’s myth grows. Folk hero or villain?

Police watch. Operation Brooks rerun? Maybe.

The Bigger Picture

UK prisons bursting. 88,000 inside. Gangs thrive. L20 just one. NPK, 67, TK. All slicing wings.

Reform? Talk. Action? Slow.

Mazza endures. For now. But jail’s warzone. L20 colours fly high. Or low.

What is L20 and who is Mazza?

L20’s a Liverpool gang from Everton, County Road area. Known for drug lines, shootings. Mazza, Marcus Thompson, 28, their shot-caller. Banged up for firearms after Anfield raid. Three years in HMP Berwyn.

Why HMP Berwyn for Mazza?

Category C prison in Wrexham. Takes North West lags. Modern, but mixes rivals. L-wing his spot. No gang wings here. Screws say it’s ‘risk assessed’. Inmates disagree.

What’s the beef inside?

Croxteth Firm main foes. Old street wars. Shank threats, lockdowns. Drugs turf too. Exercise yard plots. Berwyn’s powder keg.

Prison conditions for L20 like Mazza?

Bang-up 18 hours daily. Slop food. Laundry work. Contraband phones key. Visits fraught. Assaults rife. Rehab? Box-ticking mostly.

Will Mazza get out soon?

Parole 18 months in. If clean. Street calls. Beefs wait. L20 life resumes. Unless new charges. Insiders bet on revolving door.