Hunting Marco Polo: The Pursuit of the Drug Smuggler Who Couldn't Be Caught by the Agent Who Wouldn't Quit [Hardcover]

Paul Eddy (Author), Sara Walden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1991

For more than 20 years Howard Marks knew no other life than that of trafficking marijuana. This is the story of an international drug-trafficking organization and of the obsession of one man, a special agent of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, to put Marks behind bars.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Eddy and Walden, coauthors of The Cocaine War , tell the gripping tale of a five-year battle begun in 1985 to bring a drug kingpin to justice. Howard Marks, a Briton of intelligence and charm who specialized in transporting marijuana and hashish all over the world and in laundering drug money, traveled so extensively that he was dubbed Marco Polo. His more-than-worthy opponent was American Craig Lovato of the Drug Enforcement Agency. Lovato tracked Marks and overcame bureaucratic lassitude, ineptitude in inexperienced drug agents, wrangling between U.S. and U.K. government agencies, moles within the DEA, and ultimately played a major role in Marks's receiving a 30-year sentence. The authors present the contest between the two men as a highly dramatic chess game. Fast-paced, riveting reading. Movie rights to Zenith; author tour.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Eddy and Walden coauthored the exciting The Cocaine Wars ( LJ 7/88), among the most comprehensive books about the dangers of the cocaine trade. Here, they turn their investigative talents to the story of Howard Marks, the Marco Polo of the title, a charming and extremely bright Oxford graduate who made a fortune smuggling cannabis, and his nemesis, intrepid DEA agent Craig Louvato, who spent years and traveled the world in pursuit of Marks and his cohorts. This adventurous, sprawling tale is filled with exotic locales, police and courtroom drama, and heroes and villains (with many of the actors falling somewhere between); the authors have made it all easier to follow by including a list identifying the major players and by heading each small section with the location in which the events occur. Interspersed throughout are the words of Marks himself, who seems a very likable criminal; readers may end up, to some extent, pulling for both the hunter and the hunted. Highly recommended for all crime collections.
- Sally G. Waters, Stetson Law Lib., St. Petersburg, Fla.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown & Co (T) (May 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316210560
• ISBN-13: 978-0316210560
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,358,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Better Books Out There, April 13, 2002

By 

John G. Hilliard (Toronto Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hunting Marco Polo: The Pursuit of the Drug Smuggler Who Couldn't Be Caught by the Agent Who Wouldn't Quit (Hardcover)

This book takes what many would consider a mid level drug dealer and the search for him across the world - hence the "Marco Polo" tag. Well the villain here is not that bad so it is hard to get excited about the chase. He is no choirboy to be sure, but he is not a Pablo Escobar either. The detail of the police tactics used is interesting. The disappointing thing to me was the detail of how disjointed law enforcement is in the western world, nobody wants to work with any other countries? The book is ok and you can probably guess what happens in the end. If you are interested in this type of story, Killing Pablo by Mark Bowden is far better and more up to date.