Howard Marks

Howard Marks
Marks in Germany in 2000
Born	Dennis Howard Marks (1945-08-13)13 August 1945 Kenfig Hill, Bridgend, Wales
Died	10 April 2016(2016-04-10) (aged 70) Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Cause of death	Colon cancer
Other names	Mr Nice
Occupation	Writer
Criminal penalty	Imprisoned for 7 years
Spouse(s)	Ilze Kadegis (1967–??) Judy Lane (m. 1980–2005)
Children	Amber Francesca Patrick Myfanwy
Conviction(s)	Racketeering (drug trafficking)

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 convicted by the American Drug Enforcement Administration and handed a 25-year sentence to be served at Terre Haute; he was released in April 1995 after serving seven years. Though he had up to 43 different 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, and campaigned publicly for changes in drugs legislation.

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 the 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 Balliol 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.