Howard Marks
Welsh cannabis smuggler and author of 'Mr Nice'.
Unknown author · Public domain
Dennis Howard Marks was born on 13 August 1945 in Kenfig Hill, near Bridgend, Wales, to a merchant navy captain father and a teacher mother. Raised Baptist, he later turned to Buddhism without becoming devout. A fluent Welsh speaker, he attended Garw Grammar School before earning a place at Balliol College, Oxford, where he studied physics from 1964 to 1967. There, Denys Irving introduced him to cannabis. After his friend Joshua Macmillan died, Marks vowed to avoid hard drugs. He passed his finals through cheating and last-minute cramming, despite months of drug use and a serious infection weeks before exams. In 1967 he began teacher training and married Ilze Kadegis, a Latvian student at St. Anne's College. He abandoned teacher training for further study at the University of London, back to Balliol, and then the University of Sussex. His daughter, Amber Marks, became a barrister and pharmacology expert.
Marks sold cannabis only to friends until 1970, when he helped Graham Plinston, arrested in Germany on drug charges. Through Plinston he met Mohammed Durrani, a Pakistani hashish exporter descended from 19th-century Afghan rulers. With Plinston in jail, Durrani offered Marks a chance to sell hashish on a large scale in London. Marks formed a partnership with Charlie Radcliffe, Charlie Weatherly, and a dealer named Jarvis. Durrani never contacted them, so the group bought smaller quantities and sold in Oxford, Brighton, and London. After six months, Marks returned to Germany to bail out Plinston, useful for transferring money since he had no criminal record. Freed, Plinston hired Marks to transport hashish in Frankfurt; Marks hired a New Zealand smuggler named Lang as driver. Plinston paid Marks £5,000, then sold hashish to Marks and his three friends; they sold 650 kg in a week for a £20,000 profit. Durrani then smuggled hashish in furniture of Pakistani diplomats moving to London; Marks intercepted it for a £7,500 profit. He expanded, hiring Welsh friends Mike Bell and David Thomas to stash and transport drugs. Dissatisfied with giving 80% of profits to Durrani, the gang contacted James McCann, an IRA gunrunner. Marks and Plinston persuaded McCann to smuggle hashish from Kabul into Ireland via Shannon Airport using IRA connections; Marks and Plinston ferried it to Wales and England. Marks avoided customs by creating a paper trail showing income from stamps
- born
- 13 August 1945
- died
- 10 April 2016
- field
- Drug smuggling, authorship
- nationality
- Welsh
- known_for
- International cannabis smuggling, alias 'Mr Nice', autobiography 'Mr Nice'
Quick Facts
- Birth Name
- Dennis Howard Marks
- Birth Date
- 1945-08-13
- Birth Place
- Kenfig Hill, Glamorgan, Wales
- Death Date
- 2016-04-10
- Death Place
- Leeds, West Yorkshire, Englanddate=April 2016
- Other Names
- Mr Nice, Narco Polo, Dennis Howard Marks (D. H. Marks), Hooward Marks, Albi, Mr Tetley, Not, Mr McCarhy and 41526-004 all
- Conviction
- Racketeering / (drug trafficking)
- Conviction Penalty
- Imprisoned for 7 years
- Occupation
- Writer
- Spouse
- Ilze Kadegis (1967–??) / Judy Lane · 1980 · 2005
- Children
- 4, including Amber
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Marks was born in Kenfig Hill, near Bridgend, Wales, the son of a Merchant Navy captain and a teacher. He attended Garw Grammar School and gained a place at Balliol College, Oxford, reading physics from 1964 to 1967. At university he was first introduced to cannabis by Denys Irving. After his friend Joshua Macmillan died, Marks swore off ever getting involved with hard drugs. He passed his finals through a mixture of cheating and last minute cramming, despite months of taking drugs and a serious infection. He later studied at the University of London, back at Balliol, and then the University of Sussex. He married Ilze Kadegis in 1967, and later had a relationship with Judy Lane, marrying her in 1980; his daughter Amber Marks became a barrister and pharmacology expert.
Though involved with drugs at university, Marks sold cannabis only to friends until 1970, when he was persuaded to assist Graham Plinston. Through Plinston he met Mohammed Durrani, a Pakistani hashish exporter. Marks formed a partnership and began selling hashish in Oxford, Brighton and London. He later worked with James McCann, an IRA gunrunner, to smuggle hashish into Ireland via Shannon Airport. In 1972 he was recruited by Hamilton McMillan of MI6 because of his connections in hashish-producing countries and his contacts with the IRA. He exported cannabis to the United States via The Brotherhood of Eternal Love, hiding drugs in music equipment. After the Littlejohn affair, MI6 ended their relationship. Marks was arrested by Dutch police in 1973 but skipped bail in April 1974, becoming a nationally known figure in the British press. He later connected Ernie Combs with John Denbigh, using the yakuza to export large quantities of hashish to John F. Kennedy International Airport, where Don Brown's mob took possession. Between 1975 and 1978, twenty-four loads totalling 25 tonnes of marijuana and hashish were successfully imported through JFK Airport, involving the Mafia, yakuza, Brotherhood of Eternal Love, Thai army, Palestine Liberation Organization, Pakistani Armed Forces, and Nepalese monks, with total profits of $48,000,000. In December 1979, Santo Trafficante, Jr. exported 50 tons of cannabis from Colombia to Marks and his contacts in the UK. In 1980, Marks was arrested by customs officers for importing £15 million of cannabis; he was found in possession of incriminating evidence and £30,000 in cash. Defended by Lord Hutchinson, he pleaded not guilty, claiming he was an MI6 agent (concealing that his relation with MI6 ended in 1973). The jury found him not guilty of drug smuggling but guilty of using false passports, and he was sentenced to two years imprisonment.
Reader's Guide
Howard Marks remains a significant figure in the history of drug smuggling due to the scale of his operations and his connections with multiple intelligence agencies and criminal organizations. His claim of smuggling consignments as large as 30 tons, and his involvement with the CIA, IRA, MI6, and Mafia, highlight the complex intersections of international crime and intelligence work during the 1970s. His high-profile court cases and eventual conviction by the US Drug Enforcement Administration, resulting in a 25-year sentence of which he served seven, brought him widespread notoriety. After his release, his autobiography 'Mr Nice' became a best-seller, and he campaigned publicly for changes in drugs legislation, contributing to public discourse on drug policy. His legacy is also marked by his many aliases, up to 43, and the nickname 'Mr Nice' derived from a passport he purchased from a convicted murderer. His life story illustrates the blurred lines between criminal enterprise and state intelligence, as well as the enduring public fascination with charismatic outlaws.
Did You Know?
- Marks was a fluent Welsh speaker and read physics at Balliol College, Oxford.
- He became known as 'Mr Nice' after buying a passport from convicted murderer Donald Nice.
- He claimed to have been connected with the CIA, IRA, MI6, and the Mafia.
- His daughter Amber Marks is a barrister and pharmacology expert.
Gallery
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Howard Marks?
Dennis Howard Marks, widely recognized by his alias 'Mr Nice,' was a Welsh figure who gained notoriety as an international cannabis trafficker before channeling those experiences into the bestselling memoir 'Mr Nice.'
What was Howard Marks's main role or activity?
Marks built a career moving large quantities of cannabis across European borders during the 1960s and 1970s, operating as a cross-border smuggler. He later became a published author, writing his own account of that criminal life.
How does Howard Marks's story end?
Marks died on 10 April 2016, closing out a life that stretched from a small Welsh mining village to international infamy in the drug trade and back again into the literary world.
Why is Howard Marks important to fans of this story?
His autobiography turned a smuggling career into a widely read cultural artifact, offering an insider's perspective on 1960s and 70s European drug networks. He remains a go-to reference for anyone exploring the overlap between counterculture, transnational crime, and memoir writing.
Where was Howard Marks from and what was his background?
He was born on 13 August 1945 in Kenfig Hill, a village near Bridgend in the Welsh valleys, to a merchant navy captain and a schoolteacher. A fluent Welsh speaker, he attended Garw Grammar School before earning a place at Balliol College, Oxford, to study physics.
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