Undercover
About
Undercover Operation Julie - The Inside Story, documents everyday life of undercover work as the author, Stephen Bentley, won the confidence of the gang members. Bentley tells in his book how he built a "perfect" relationship with Smiles, an important gang member. But this friendship almost undermined the whole operation.- BBC News England, October 2, 2016.The fascinating and extraordinary inside story from the man who was actually there. - Rob Gittins, Screenwriter and Novelist, Writer of 'Julie' BBC DramaTo infiltrate international drug cartels, he had to become a player..
‘Undercover’: The true story behind Operation Julie, one of Britain's largest drug busts and how the same detective infiltrated a cartel planning to smuggle cocaine into Britain.
Forget ‘Breaking Bad’ this is the extraordinary story of the 1970s Welsh LSD ring that supplied the world, told by a cop in deepest cover on the case.
In the dim chaos of a Liverpool nightclub, a sharp question cut through the noise: “Are you guys cops?”
For Steve Jackson, the words chilled him to the bone. Jackson wasn’t just his name—it was his cover. As an undercover officer navigating the ruthless world of drug cartels, his life depended on the perfect lie.
This gripping true crime story pulls you deep into the double life of Stephen Bentley, one of the pioneers of British undercover policing. With no training manuals or playbooks, Bentley dived headfirst into the underworld during Operation Julie, a groundbreaking investigation that dismantled a global drug empire. The operation led to the seizure of 90% of the world’s LSD supply, exposed a massive cocaine importation scheme and resulted in 15 convictions totalling 124 years in prison.
But success came at a cost. Living a lie meant constant danger, personal sacrifice, and psychological tolls.
Did Bentley cross lines to maintain his cover?
What does it take to truly live in the shadows, and how does it feel to return to the light?
Based on real events, ‘Undercover’ chronicles not just a legendary case but also the personal and professional battles of an officer who shaped undercover policing.
Praised by the BBC and major news outlets, and now adapted for a TV series, this is a true story of trust, betrayal, and the relentless pursuit of justice.
Praise for this book
Verified Purchase
What a fascinating book! Totally compelling read and even if I didn’t have experience of policing it is well worth the read, and annotated to explain certain things if you aren’t. An insight into the world of the undercover cop Steve Jackson that blew away some of my myths. I found it uniquely honest and a view of policing that we wouldn’t ordinarily get to know about.
Having reviewed this part of policing (although in later years when inspection took its hold) I know a lot about its organisation, funding and regulation, although never allowed to know who these officers were, this book completes the picture for me. Reading about Steve Jackson's setting up of the Legend and surviving deep into this world reinforces my own view of the courage and fortitude of these remarkable people. The sacrifice made by those involved and their respective families receives little press and I think Stephen Bentley underplays this aspect of the job. We have to acknowledge that it is, indeed, a job and the benefits are not for themselves, but for the world in general. We can see quite clearly from this honest and revealing account that it may be others who receive the thanks, accolade and rewards; theirs is only the knowing that they did the job to the best of their abilities. For others it is what I call the OBE effect; honour obtained by ‘Other Buggers Efforts.’
This extraordinary book reveals some of the dangers that UC officers place themselves in; in a world where guns have become commonplace on the streets, the value of human life become frailer, and this job becomes even harder than ever. However, when Bill, the gun carrying Canadian Mafioso drug dealer holds his fingers, simulating a gun, to your head and pretends to blow you away the danger is real, as is the known paranoia of the Drug Dealer who samples his own wares at any time in history to the present day.
This is a real insight into the aftermath and long standing effects that can reach down through the decades. These days I hope and believe that such officers would receive more aftercare, but services to humanity, like the police and the armed forces, (in my opinion) do not take this aspect seriously. This book should be required reading for both.
Verified Purchase
This brutally honest memoir recounts a time in the seventies where life was completely different. I was only a young child at the time and don't remember Operation Julie, even though it was talked about on the TV and in the papers. But the story is very interesting nonetheless, and gives an insight to police work that is more realistic than anything you'll see on TV. There's no hype, no glorification, no exaggeration of facts - just one man's story, as he remembers it, and as it is written in logs he kept at the time. A good read that reveals what went on behind the scenes and inside the author's head at the time.
Verified Purchase
Author Stephen Bentley taught me something new from the beginning:
I thought Llandewi Breffi was a fictitious Welsh village made famous by the comedy series Little Britain as the home of the The Only Gay in the Village.
Imagine my surprise when I discover it was at the centre of the biggest police drugs sting of the 70s – named Operation Julie after one of the police officers on the squad.
It’s a fast-paced true story of a young officer (Bentley) just cutting his teeth as a detective when he is asked to sacrifice everything to assume a new name, personality and friends in order to infiltrate a drug network which had spread its tentacles worldwide.
He and a fellow officer assume hippy appearances, living and sleeping out of a shabby van with a cover story that they are searching for a lost relative.
Pretty soon they are popular members of the community, with Stephen getting particularly close to a colourful character called Smiles, one of the leading dealers and distributors of LSD in the UK. And though there is humour in places, the underlying current of fear and danger is never far away
The final impression is of a man who thrived on the adrenaline of the occasion, but found it difficult to adjust once it was over and has carried the scars of those early days for the rest of his life. In the army they call it Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but only in the present day is it recognised as an illness.
Now living happily in the Philippines, Bentley’s chief regret is the fact the brilliant work done by the original investigation was wasted as the Julie force was quickly disbanded and the leading lights allowed to drift away, taking their insider knowledge and valuable experiences with them.
The author feels a national drug squad should have resulted and might have solved many of the social problems we see around us today. It is hard to disagree.
Overall, it is a story of humanity. Stephen doesn’t judge but tells it like it is, and still has a deep affection for Smiles, one of those jailed as the result of his actions. I highly recommend this book to those who wish to read about the UK’s equivalent to Donny Brasco.