Rusty Young is an Australian-born author known for his international bestseller, Marching Powder, which tells the true story of an English drug smuggler in Bolivia’s notorious San Pedro Prison. He is also the author of the bestselling novel, Colombiano, a fact-meets-fiction revenge thriller about a Colombian boy avenging his father’s death.

Rusty grew up in Sydney and pursued studies in Finance and Law at the University of New South Wales. His adventures began when he was backpacking through South America and stumbled upon the story of Thomas McFadden, a convicted English drug trafficker. McFadden was notorious for running tours inside the infamous San Pedro Prison in La Paz. Intrigued by McFadden's popularity, Rusty joined one of these illegal tours, forming a quick bond with McFadden.