Undercover

The author and his book have featured on BBC Newsnight, BBC Wales News, BBC Radio 4 World At One and BBC Five Live; and also in London's Guardian and Sunday Express newspapers.

What was Operation Julie?

In March 1978, at the culmination of Operation Julie, fifteen defendants, including doctors, research chemists, a writer, and "professional" drug dealers were sentenced to a combined total of one hundred and twenty four years imprisonment.

Operation Julie is still today the point of reference for all British undercover operations and training. In 2011, the BBC claimed this massive and unique police operation was the start of the war on drugs.

The author, Stephen Bentley, was one of four undercover detectives engaged on Operation Julie, one of the world's largest drug busts. Together with his undercover partner, he infiltrated the gang producing around 90 percent of the world's LSD and uncovered a plot to import huge quantities of Bolivian cocaine into the UK.

The author operated in the era of no undercover training. He improvised as he went along. He was a pioneer infiltrator left to his own devices.

The underworld knew the author as Steve Jackson. How did he successfully infiltrate the two gangs? Did he have to take drugs, and how did 'living a lie' affect him?

The author also practised as a London barrister for fourteen years. He brings his forensic abilities to bear in this book when writing on the issues of the 'war on drugs' and the future of undercover policing in the UK.

Reviews:

"Masterfully told by undercover officer Stephen Bentley, this isn't a run of the mill sensationalist true crime book. Dive underneath the visible parts of the water and into the murky depths as you are pulled along through not just the operation but the aftermath, both personal and public. A must read for true crime lovers and historians alike. I cannot recommend this book enough. It was a very enjoyable read."

"Most fascinating to me was that apparently, at the time (1976-1980), in Great Britain, there was no training, no manual, no action plan how to go about uncovering drug dealers