Howard Marks, Mr. Nice

Fascinating true story from a very interesting man.

The book is packed full of interesting stories and tales of the highs (no pun intended) and lows throughout his journey as an international drug smuggler.

I have had the pleasure of meeting Howard Marks and he is as interesting in real life as he comes across in the book.

It was a pleasure to read - highly recommend!

Howard Marks, Mr. Nice - This is a book about the life of a man who spent most of his adult life as a drug smuggler. Imprisoned in the U.S. for his activities, when he was released from prison and he returned to the UK it was as a sort of late-nineties, Britpop anti-hero and he was mentioned by many in the same breath as writer Irvine Welsh, hanging out with rock stars, attending club nights and doing his own rock n' roll style lecture tour. He is the most unlikely of heroes, and I'm not really certain why popular culture attributed such plaudits to a ex-criminal, but the book itself is intelligent and funny, and reading it, you do sympathise with the author.

Marks was brought up in a small town in Wales to a working class family and achieved the distinction of obtaining an Oxbridge education where he got involved in hippy culture and pot smoking. He then went on to starting to import and sell the drug, going to ever more ridiculous lengths to bring marijuana into the country without getting caught. His activities at times forced him into exile on the continent, as the police were continuously investigating him. Throughout, however, he insists that he was never part of those drug cartels that are responsible for violence and he does come across as sort of a non-violent, gentle criminal mastermind. In the end he was arrested, tried and imprisoned in the U.S. and had a very difficult time from the U.S. authorities.

This is an interesting account because it shows how an intelligent and thoughtful individual became embroiled in major criminal activity and all of the ways this affected his life. Even if you object to his actions, his story will probably entertain you.