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Operation Julie

The gripping inside story of Britain’s biggest drug bust

Life undercover was one great adrenaline rush fuelled by copious amounts of alcohol, hash, weed and some cocaine. I was off the leash.

In the mid-1970s, at the age of 29, Stephen Bentley, a fresh-faced detective, turned himself into Steve Jackson, a dope-smoking, hard-drinking hippy. His time spent undercover with a gang making and distributing LSD helped bring down two criminal networks - but the operation also led to deep personal aftershocks felt long after the case closed.

As we get up-close-and-personal with the people who were the operators of the drug supply chain that fuelled 70s counter-culture, the story becomes laden with heavy drug-taking, blurred lines between cop, criminal and friend, and creeping doubts about who Steve really is. Taking us into the unlikely setting of the rural Welsh valleys and infiltrating the gang that was responsible for about 90% of the LSD production in the UK, Steve Bentley's insider account shows what it really takes to go undercover - to befriend, to betray and to bury your sense of self.

About Stephen Bentley

Stephen Bentley is an award-winning author. Like some other authors, his life experience is broad and unconventional. He spent 30 years in the legal system, first as a detective for 15 years then as barrister plying his trade as “a wig for hire” in London and the English provinces. He was a pioneering undercover cop on Operation Julie and as a barrister defended in trials involving murder, rape, drug importation, other serious crimes and defended soldiers at courts-martial.


He has now written over twenty books. Two of them have been optioned and in development; one as a TV drama series, and one as a drama doc.


You can find Stephen and his book catalogue at stephenbentley.info


His wife is a better person than him in all regards and is a source of support in his goal of entertaining readers. She has also made him a better person.
Details
  • Imprint: Ebury Spotlight
  • ISBN: 9781529148152
  • Length: 256 pages
  • Price: £10.99