Howard ‘Mr Nice’ Marks at the Horn, St Albans

MR Nice, aka Howard Marks, is coming to a St Albans music pub to give a first-hand account of a life which has achieved almost legendary proportions.

The former teacher, drug smuggler and author who achieved notoriety for running an international hashish ring will be the subject of An Audience with Howard Marks at The Horn in Victoria Street next Thursday, June 10.

Marks was also supposed to have had connections with groups such as the IRA and the Mafia and his eventual conviction was at the hands of the American Drug Enforcement Administration.

At the height of his drug career, he was said to have controlled 10 per cent of the world’s hashish trade.

Marks began to deal during a post-graduate philosophy course at Oxford and was soon moving large quantities of hashish into Europe and America in the equipment of touring rock bands.

He went on to smuggle consignments of up to 30 tonnes from Pakistan and Thailand to America and Canada but after many years and a worldwide operation, he was busted and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

He was released on parole in April 1995 after serving seven years of his sentence and since his release, he has published a best-selling autobiography Mr Nice, which has been translated into many languages.

Tickets to hear him tell his stories are �13 in advance or �15 on the door.