Howard Marks Popular Books
Howard Marks Biography & Facts
Dennis Howard Marks (13 August 1945 – 10 April 2016) was a Welsh drug smuggler and author who achieved notoriety as an international cannabis smuggler through high-profile court cases. At his peak he claimed to have been smuggling consignments of the drug as large as 30 tons, and was connected with groups as diverse as the CIA, the IRA, MI6, and the Mafia. He was eventually charged by the U S Drug Enforcement Administration, convicted and given a 25-year prison sentence; he was released in April 1995 after serving seven years. Though he had up to 43 aliases, he became known as "Mr Nice" after he bought a passport from convicted murderer Donald Nice. After his release from prison, he published a best-selling autobiography, Mr. Nice (1996), and campaigned publicly for changes in drugs legislation. Early life and education Marks was born in Kenfig Hill, near Bridgend, Wales, the son of Dennis Marks, a captain in the Merchant Navy, and Edna, a teacher. Brought up as a Baptist, he later turned to Buddhism, though he did not become a devout follower. He attended Garw Grammar School in Pontycymer. He was a fluent Welsh speaker. He gained a place at Balliol College, Oxford, after he impressed Russell Meiggs in his interview, and read physics there from 1964 to 1967. At the university he was first introduced to cannabis by Denys Irving. After his friend Joshua Macmillan (son of Maurice Macmillan) died, Marks swore off ever getting involved with hard drugs. Among his other friends at Oxford were the epidemiologist Julian Peto and the journalist Lynn Barber. Through a mixture of cheating and last minute cramming, he passed his finals; this was despite months of taking drugs rather than attending classes and a serious infection he developed a few weeks before the exams. In 1967 he began teacher training, and married Ilze Kadegis, a Latvian student at St. Anne's College, Oxford, who was also training to become a teacher. He gave up teacher training to continue his education at the University of London (1967–68; Grad. Inst P.), then back to Balliol College, Oxford (1968–69; Dip HPh Sc), and then on to the University of Sussex (1969–70) to study philosophy of science. Marks's daughter, Amber Marks, is a barrister and pharmacology expert. Drug empire Though involved with drugs at university, he sold cannabis only to his friends or acquaintances until 1970, when he was persuaded to assist Graham Plinston, who had been arrested in Germany on drug trafficking charges. Through Plinston he met Mohammed Durrani, a Pakistani hashish exporter who was a descendant of the Durranis who had run Afghanistan in the 19th century. With Plinston behind bars, Durrani offered Marks the opportunity to sell the drug on a large scale in London, and he agreed to the proposition. He formed a four-way partnership with Charlie Radcliffe, Charlie Weatherly and a dealer named Jarvis. Durrani never contacted them, and so the group acquired smaller quantities of hashish from various sources and began selling the drug in Oxford, Brighton and London. After six months he returned to Germany to help bail Plinston out of jail. Marks was a useful means of transferring money as he did not have a criminal record. Now a free man, Plinston gave Marks a job transporting hashish in Frankfurt; Marks in turn hired a New Zealand smuggler named Lang as his driver. After paying Marks £5,000 for his work in Frankfurt, Plinston then sold hashish to Marks and his three friends (Radcliffe, Weatherly and Jarvis) in London; in selling 650 kg (1,430 lb) within a week, the four men made a profit of £20,000. Durrani then arranged for hashish to be smuggled in the furniture of Pakistani diplomats who were moving to London; Marks would then intercept the furniture to find the drugs – this arrangement netted him a profit of £7,500. Marks expanded his enterprise, employing two friends from Wales, Mike Bell and David Thomas, to stash the drugs and help with transportation. The gang became dissatisfied with the way the profits were being split (80% of the money they made went to Durrani) and contacted James McCann, a gunrunner for the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). Marks and Plinston persuaded McCann to smuggle hashish into Ireland from Kabul, which the pair would then ferry over to Wales and into England; McCann would get the drugs into Ireland through the freeport at Shannon Airport using his IRA connections. Marks avoided the attention of HM Revenue and Customs by creating a paper trail that indicated he made his money from selling stamps and dresses. By 1972, he was making £50,000 with each shipment. By the end of the year he was approached by Hamilton McMillan of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), a friend from Oxford University, who recruited Marks to work for MI6 because of his connections in the hashish-producing countries of Lebanon, Pakistan and Afghanistan, for his ability to seduce women, and for his contacts with the IRA. The next year, Marks began exporting cannabis to the United States to The Brotherhood of Eternal Love, hiding the drugs in the music equipment of fictional British pop groups that were supposed to be touring the country; he further expanded his operations with other smugglers and other methods of trafficking, often using his Oxford connections. As McCann was in danger of being executed by the IRA should MI6 tip them off about his involvement in drugs, Marks then gave up the smuggling operation at Shannon airport. Following the Littlejohn affair, MI6 ceased their relationship with Marks, while his American operation came to an end after police opened a speaker full of cannabis and arrested gang member James Gater, leading to other arrests in Europe. Marks was arrested by Dutch police in 1973, but skipped bail in April 1974; the British press then made him a nationally known figure, reporting that he was feared abducted by the IRA for his connections with MI6. With most of his fortune confiscated by the authorities, he made his way to Italy, where he lived in a Winnebago for three months before returning to England in secret in October 1974. At this point he began a relationship with Judy Lane; the couple married in 1980 and had three children together. He had previously been in a five-year relationship with Rosie Lewis, with whom he had a daughter. Marks then connected Ernie Combs, member of The Brotherhood of Eternal Love, with John Denbigh, a man with connections in the hashish-producing nation of Nepal. With the help of the yakuza, large quantities of the drug would be exported to John F. Kennedy International Airport in the guise of air conditioning equipment, where Don Brown's mob (headed by Carmine Galante) would then take possession of the drugs. A 500 kg (1,100 lb) deal was set up and executed on 4 July 1975, leaving Marks a wealthy man. Other deals up to 750 kg (1,650 lb) followed, and Marks continued to live under assumed names in the United Kingdom. In 1976 he travelled to America, a.... Discover the Howard Marks popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Howard Marks books.
Best Seller Howard Marks Books of 2024
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The Power and the Money
Tevi TroyWhen U.S. presidents clash with corporate titans, what tips the balance of power? In The Power and the Money, acclaimed presidential historian Tevi Troy takes readers on...
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The End of Craving
Mark SchatzkerThe international bestseller from awardwinning writer Mark Schatzker that reveals how our dysfunctional relationship with food beganand how science is leading us back to healthier ...
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Black Privilege
Charlamagne Tha GodAn instant New York Times bestseller! Charlamagne Tha Godthe selfproclaimed “Prince of Pissing People Off,” cohost of Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club, and “the most important voic...
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Deerbrook
Harriet MartineauWhen the Ibbotson sisters, Hester and Margaret, arrive at the village of Deerbrook to stay with their cousin Mr Grey and his wife, speculation is rife that one of them might marry ...
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Summary of Mastering The Market Cycle
Felix D. fordTHIS IS NOT A BOOK BY HOWARD MARKS , NOR IS IT AFFILIATED WITH HIM . IT IS AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION BY FELIX D. FORD, THAT SUMMARIZES HIS BOOK IN DETAIL. Download now to get k...
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Get Honest or Die Lying
Charlamagne Tha GodFrom Charlamagne Tha God, multihyphenate mogul, host of the morning radio phenomenon The Breakfast Club, and founder and CEO of iHeartRadio’s Black Effect Podcast Network, a rundow...
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Underworld
Duncan CampbellLive on the wrong side of the law with Britain’s gangsters, Peaky Blinders, godfathers, robbers, informers, kingpins, vice lords and career criminalsThe Sunday Times Bestseller Wit...
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The Cocaine Diaries
Jeff Farrell & Paul Keany‘It won’t happen to me. That’s what I thought when I got on the plane to Venezuela. But it did – I got caught.’Caught smuggling half a million euros’ worth of cocaine, Paul Keany w...
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Whistle Blower
Mark ClattenburgThe outspoken and hardhitting autobiography of one of the most highlyrated, recognisable and controversial football referees of modern times.Mark Clattenburg found himself in the c...
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The Best Pirate Stories Ever Told
Stephen BrennanOver the years, thousands of tales both true and fantastic have been told about the dastardly thievery of pirates, and their rumdrunk exploits and highseas violence never fail to d...
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Peace Far Away
Mark HowardA small family decided to leave the land they loved.Their search was for something very simple, although they never knew it at the time.This story is true. Only the names of a few ...
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Sleeper Seven
Mark HowardJessica Armitage discovers something interesting about herself, quite by accident, while leaving a Chicago El train one spring day. On a quest to enhance her nascent ability, she i...
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The People Speak
Howard ZinnCollected here is a brief history of America told through stories applauding the enduring spirit of dissent.To celebrate the millionth copy sold of his book, A People's H...
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Miracles and Massacres
Glenn BeckGlenn Beck, the New York Times bestselling author of The Great Reset presents history as it's supposed to be told: true and thrilling.History is about so much more than memorizing ...
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Godfrey Under Siege
Mark HowardThe crusade marches on, but Godfrey de Bastogne is left to defend the strategically important castle known as Olso Fortress. As his men yearn to return to their homes in Bastogne a...
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AMERICAN AUTHORS Boxed Set Serie 1
Mark Twain, Zane Grey, Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Emily Dickinson, Robert E. Howard, James Fenimore Cooper & Golden Deer ClassicsContents: Emily Dickinson The Complete Poems James Fenimore Cooper The Complete Novels Zane Grey The Collected Works Robert E. Howard The Collected Works H.P Lovecraft The ...
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Connecticut Yankee
Wilbur L. Cross & Justin ZarembyEqual parts nostalgic, witty, selfserving, and frank, Connecticut Yankee is an entertaining and informative memoir of the state and a scholar who shaped it. Connecticut nativ...
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Mad Dog
David Lister & Hugh JordanA mindless sectarian psychopath or a loyalist folk hero who took the war to the IRA's front door? The name Johnny 'Mad Dog' Adair is synonymous with a killing spree by loyalist ter...
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Messenger
Marc Bernardin“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” Muhammad Ali, one of the most reveredand controversialfigures of the twentieth century, immortalized those words with the beauty, streng...
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Dance for your Daddy
Katherine Shellduck'This morning I found this bag. I had been looking for sweets. I put my hand in the bag and felt a sticky liquid on my fingers, then I looked at it. A red smear. Then I looked in t...
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Classic Authors Super Set Series 1
Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, Zane Grey, Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft & Edgar Allan PoeContents: Jane Austen: The Complete Novels Charles Dickens: The Complete Novels Zane Grey: The Collected Works Robert E. Howard: The Collected Works H.P Lovecraft: The Comple...
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Laura Johnson v. Howard Mark Productions
Second District Court of Appeal of FloridaALTENBERND, Judge. Laura Johnson, as personal representative of the estate of Jason Johnson, appeals a summary judgment entered in favor of Howard Mark Productions, Inc....
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The Mammoth Book of Drug Barons
Paul CopperwaiteThe rise and fall of the outlaw lords of the drug world, from the Cali Cartel, the richest, most powerful crime syndicate in history, to Britain's biggest drug baron, Curtis 'Coc...
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Say Hello to My Little Friend
Nat SegaloffThe author of The Exorcist Legacy: 50 Years of Fear, brings us another sensational Hollywood tellall celebrating the 40th anniversary of Brian De Palma’s legendary 1983 gangster fi...
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Distraction Pieces
Scroobius PipThe Times Bestseller (NonFiction)Join Scroobius Pip as he gets to the bottom of what matters most in life: whether getting Russell Brand to expound on capitalism, Jon Ronson on the...
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Built on a Lie
Owen WalkerHe was the most celebrated and successful British investor of his generation but it was all built on a lie. Neil Woodford spent years beating the market; betting against the dot c...
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Trousdale Estates
Steven M. PriceFilled with beautiful, vivid photographs, Trousdale is the definitive history of the architecture and design that defined both Beverly Hills and the ultimate American Dream.Trousda...
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Hear No Evil
Donald Byron Thomas & Jim LesarDid a shot from the “grassy knoll” kill President Kennedy? If so, was Oswald part of a conspiracy or an innocent patsy? Why have scientific experts who examined the evidence failed...
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Raiders
Noel "Razor" SmithOver the years, both inside and out (though mainly in) he met and associated with many armed robbers, and in Raiders he tells their amazing stories. Like Big Bad Bob, the Scotsman ...
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Cymru Howard Marks
Howard a Gibbard Alun MarksTeitl yn y gyfres o gyfrolau byr a chyflym Stori Sydyn. Ganed Howard Marks ym Mynydd Cynffig ond doedd fawr o gariad ganddo at Gymru na'r Gymraeg. Ac yn sicr, pan gafodd ei garchar...
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Becoming Mr Nice
Amber MarksWelcome to the personal archives of Britain's biggest dope smuggler.For 40 years Howard Marks traversed the globe: an international businessman who became an inmate in America's to...
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Where the Money Is
Adam Seessel“One of the best books I have read on investing in years. ” Bill Ackman, founder and CEO, Pershing Square Capital ManagementFrom a successful investor and a contributor to Barron’s...
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Behind Dead Eyes
Howard LinskeyA missing woman, a disfigured corpse, a chillingly persuasive serial killer. A gripping crime thriller perfect for fans of LJ Ross, Mel Sherratt and Mark BillinghamTruecrime writer...