ON March 1974 Howard Marks jumped bail of £50,000. For the next five years he was the world's most wanted drug smuggler, living on the run, changing names, passports and hairstyles several times a year, but still dealing. His friends learnt to call him Albi. The press called him Mr Mystery.
He was eventually arrested n 1979. After his release from prison in 1982, the Inland Revenue in Britain assessed his undeclared income at £2 million pounds. He had 25 registered companies, 89 telephone lines and 43 aliases.