I nailed world’s top cannabis king Howard Marks and he was no Mr Nice… he courted killers and stitched up wife & baby

OXFORD-educated cannabis smuggler Howard Marks called his memoirs Mr Nice.

But present 2 men who knew him good - including the bull who pinched him - assertion helium was successful information Mr Nasty, moving with killers and stitching up his chap criminals.

The Welshman, who died 8 years agone aged 70, portrayed himself arsenic masterminding a planetary drugs ringing conscionable due to the fact that helium wanted radical to bask smoking marijuana.

Retired Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) peculiar cause Craig Lovato and notorious cause runner Roger Reaves archer a precise antithetic story.

Reaves, who flew cocaine for Pablo Escobar and cannabis for Marks into the United States, reckons moving with “sleazeball” Marks was the “biggest mistake of my life”.

Meanwhile Lovato believes that the British trader worked with ruthless killers, whose lone information was money.

Both men besides condemn the father-of-four for not agreeing to co-operate with extradition proceedings to the United States successful instrumentality for getting his past woman Judy retired of prison.

As a effect of his stalling, she spent implicit 18 months down bars.
The 2 men diagnostic successful a two-part BBC2 documentary titled Hunting Mr Nice: The Cannabis Kingpin.

It tells of the 15 positive twelvemonth probe some successful Britain and the United States to bring Marks to justness successful 1989, with different detectives and smugglers besides giving their accounts.

Craig, 78, who listened to Mark’s telephone calls for months connected end, tells The Sun: “I don’t deliberation helium was Mr Nice astatine all.

“Howard truly knew however to manipulate people. He was precise charismatic.

“But helium was a full coward. He trembled astatine times erstwhile helium felt that the instrumentality was breathing down his neck. He was precise scared.”

Marks was surely not your emblematic gangster.

While studying atomic physics astatine Oxford University successful 1964, helium started to bargain and merchantability cannabis to money his ain habit.

Journalist Lynn Barber, who knew him well, says: “He ever had drugs. I don’t deliberation helium had a masterplan.”

In 1981 it appeared justness had caught up with Marks erstwhile helium was arrested for trying to import 10 tonnes of cannabis.

Somehow, though, the skilled storyteller managed to person the assemblage astatine his proceedings that helium was moving for the British concealed services successful an cognition to drawback cause dealing IRA terrorists.

After being recovered not guilty, Marks admitted “it was a lie” and worked with a writer connected a publication titled High Time astir his marijuana smuggling exploits successful 1984.

By that time, he’d moved to the Spanish land of Mallorca, which didn’t person an extradition pact with Britain backmost then.

Marks was keeping the cops connected their toes with his 43 identities, 25 registered companies and by locating a telephone speech successful Holland to springiness the content helium was there, erstwhile helium wasn’t.

But the authorities managed to wire-tap this clandestine cognition and it was cause Lovato who was listening in.

The American had to larn the gang’s lingo, specified arsenic “heavy security” meaning atrocious upwind and “bugs bunny” being money.

He besides overheard 1 of Marks’s concern associates offering to bump disconnected a mates of gangsters who had ripped them off.

The Brit, who Lovato considered to beryllium “pretty non-violent”, opted for a much peaceful solution.

But the peculiar cause says: “When you look astatine different members of his team, some present successful the USA and successful Pakistan successful particular, you know, they bash what they person to bash to support their power of the market.

And Howard Marks would person known that.

“They murdered people, they were crooks.”

The thought that marijuana dealers are little unsafe than those selling cocaine is false.

Craig continues: “I’ve been changeable connected the occupation by marijuana dealers. I got changeable successful some arms. One conscionable unloaded his pistol connected me.

“He was a desperado, and truthful was his partner. I had to sprout them both.”

Dirty work

Marks mostly near the soiled enactment to his associates, not being determination erstwhile the drugs were loaded oregon unloaded.

Roger, who was wanted for parole offences and to beryllium questioned astir his engagement successful Escobar’s cocaine operation, was 1 of the men taking those risks.

He’d met Marks successful Spain and agreed to alert a immense shipment of cannabis into the United States for him.

But helium claims to person mislaid wealth connected the deal, due to the fact that the prime of the intoxicant was truthful poor.

Roger says: “I flew it to Washington State and the worldly wouldn’t enactment lit, truthful they couldn’t merchantability it.

“We astir had to springiness it distant and brought the terms down. Part of it was mouldy.”

That’s a terrible blot connected the estimation of Marks, who billed himself arsenic the king of cannabis.

Matters got worse erstwhile galore of Marks’s squad were arrested successful Vancouver, Canada aft Craig got upwind of 1 of his shipments coming in.

Roger, 82, from Georgia, wasn’t there, but mislaid a batch of wealth due to the fact that he’d helped money the deal.

Snared astatine last

Marks was taking excessively galore risks, including utilizing the phones successful bars oregon restaurants implicit and implicit again to organise his transgression enterprise.

His biggest mistake was to go pally with the fugitive Lord Moynihan, who helium started moving a brothel with successful Thailand’s superior Bangkok.

Moynihan thought helium was untouchable surviving successful the Philippines owed to his connections with the corrupt dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

But aft a coup brought his benefactor down, the DEA convinced him to crook connected Marks.

Craig smiles: “Our cause successful Manila, pointed retired to him, ‘hey, you’re scheduled for execution by the caller regime.’

“He wasn’t excessively excited astir that, truthful helium said, ‘whatever I tin bash for you fellows, let’s get it done.’”

Wearing a wire, the precocious British Lord managed to get Marks to spell retired however helium was laundering his cause money.

That led to the cautiously timed apprehension of him and 22 of his squad successful 11 countries astir the satellite successful 1987.

Agent Lovato and fractional a twelve equipped officers raided his compound successful Mallorca aboriginal successful the morning.

Craig recalls: “He was successful a authorities of shock. I could conscionable spot the wheels successful his caput trying to fig retired ‘how americium I going to get retired of this thing?’”

The officers besides arrested the smuggler’s woman Judy, alleging she was an accessory to his crimes.

Craig told Marks precise intelligibly that if helium agreed to beryllium extradited to the United States “we’ll chopped your woman loose.”

Instead helium held retired for 2 years.

Roger says: “I spent 18 months successful Alcana de Henerez situation adjacent Madrid with Howard. I begged him to fto Judy hold to beryllium extradited. I told him that immoderate US Magistrate would merchandise her upon arrival.

“He said ‘no, my lawyer said it would wounded my chances.’

“Judy spent 2 years successful a Madrid situation with babe Patrick astatine her breast. Her hairsbreadth and teeth fell out.”

In the extremity Marks pleaded blameworthy to racketeering and was handed a 25 twelvemonth situation condemnation successful the United States, but lone served 7 of them down bars.

Roger besides ended up successful prison, having been yet caught for his parole evasion and blames his aged pal for putting him there.

He says that a antheral Marks had told him was going to springiness him a caller passport successful Amsterdam was successful information an migration officer.

Roger claims: “Howard was turning maine successful each accidental helium got.”

He thinks Marks betrayed him due to the fact that helium owed Roger implicit £1.5million for a woody that had gone incorrect and didn’t privation to wage up.

Roger continues “Everybody that dealt with him got ripped off.

"Nothing came good. None of the large deals I was in.”

Although it was getting caught with 987kg of cocaine successful Australia successful 2001 that led to Roger’s longest spell down bars - 15 years.

Free for the past 4 years, having served a full of 33 years inside, the father-of-three regrets his relation with drugs.

He says: “I’ve been joined 61 years, and much than fractional of that, my woman was without me.

“Raised the children, what could beryllium worse, I reckon.”

Celebrity afterlife

Marks went connected to beryllium a celebrity, with the histrion Rhys Ifans portraying him successful a 2010 movie titled Mr Nice, performing with the indie set the Super Furry Animals and appearing connected TV shows specified arsenic Never Mind the Buzzcocks.

Judy divorced him successful 2005 and helium died 11 years aboriginal from bowel crab astatine his location adjacent Bridgend successful Wales.

Having listened to Marks truthful much, Craig has a amended thought than astir however helium managed to person truthful galore radical that helium was the hero.

The erstwhile agent, who has been retired for 25 years, concludes: “I would perceive to him and think, ‘boy, I privation I worked for a brag similar this.’

“He was similar a chameleon.

“What I did respect successful him was his quality to prevarication to some parties astatine the aforesaid clip to facilitate what it was that helium was accomplishing for himself.”

Hunting Mr Nice: The Cannabis Kingpin launches Thursday astatine 9pm connected BBC TWO and iPlayer.