Who was Howard Marks from Hunting Mr Nice: The Cannabis Kingpin?

IN THE 1980S Howard Marks ran 1 of the biggest cause smuggling operations successful the world.

The precocious Welsh man's beingness of crime is present being retold successful BBC One documentary, Hunting Mr Nice: The Cannabis Kingpin. Here we instrumentality a look astatine his unthinkable story.

Born Dennis Howard Marks connected August 13, 1945, successful Bridgend, Marks was a Welsh cause smuggler and author.

He was educated astatine Oxford University wherever helium studied to go a teacher.

However, beingness successful the schoolroom was abandoned and Marks went onto execute notoriety arsenic an planetary cannabis smuggler.

At his peak, helium claimed to person been smuggling consignments of the cause arsenic ample arsenic 30 tons.

Life arsenic a cause smuggler

Twenty years aft leaving Oxford, Marks was moving his planetary cause smuggling operation.

He ran his empire from his location successful Palma, Mallorca, wherever helium lived with his woman and 3 children.

By the mid '80s, Marks was believed to beryllium the astir prolific high-grade hashish smuggler successful the business.

He was importing thousands of tonnes of cannabis into the UK and US.

However, small did helium know, idiosyncratic was connected his trail.

Being caught

Over the pond, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) cause Craig Lovato was connected the hunt to seizure Marks.

Speaking connected the BBC documentary, the erstwhile cause said: "I became obsessed with the tendency to instrumentality him and his organisation down."

Police successful Spain had been secretly signaling Marks' telephone calls and Lovato was sent implicit to perceive to hundreds of hours of audio.

Marks was yet charged by the U S Drug Enforcement Administration, convicted and fixed a 25-year prison sentence

He was released successful April 1995 aft serving 7 years.

Though helium had up to 43 aliases, Marks became known arsenic "Mr Nice" aft helium bought a passport from convicted murderer Donald Nice.

Life aft prison

After his merchandise from prison, Marks published his best-selling autobiography, Mr. Nice (1996).

He besides campaigned publically for changes successful drugs legislation.

Marks besides turned to stand-up comedy, and adjacent performed astatine the Welsh Comedy Festival.

After his beingness of transgression was down him, helium besides worked successful the euphony manufacture and appeared connected the Super Furry Animals’ 1996 opus Hanging with Howard Marks.

He ran the grounds statement Bothered and was besides a DJ.

On screen, Marks had a cameo quality successful Human Traffic, successful which helium discussed “spliff politics”, and was played by his person Rhys Ifans successful the 2006 film astir his beingness Mr Nice.

Marks' death

On January 25, 2015, it was announced that Marks had inoperable colorectal cancer.

When the quality astir his health conflict broke helium told The Guardian: “It’s intolerable to regret immoderate portion of my beingness erstwhile I consciousness blessed and I americium blessed now, truthful I don’t person immoderate regrets and person not had immoderate for a precise agelong time.”

He died of the illness connected April 10, 2016, astatine the property of 70.

BBC documentary

Marks' beingness of transgression is being explored successful the BBC documentary, Hunting Mr Nice: The Cannabis Kingpin.

The two-part bid follows the epic communicative of the hunt for Marks astatine the highest of his mid 1980s operation.

The doc besides features archive interviews from aboriginal successful his beingness wherever helium is challenged connected his ethics, morals and assertion to his alias Mr Nice.

Audio recordings from the wiretaps connected his telephone combined with reconstructions of cardinal scenes successful the story, spot Marks beforehand and centre successful the series.

The documentary volition commencement connected November 21, 2024, connected BBC One and the BBC iPlayer.