LSD Millionaires
Last updated: 06 March 2007
1977 was a fairly eventful year on the whole - Elvis, the King of Rock and Roll died, George Lucas took us to a galaxy far, far away with the first Star Wars film and Britain, as well as the Sex Pistols, were celebrating the Queen's Silver Jubilee. However, a quiet, tranquil and picturesque rural mid Wales community was hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons - having been the setting for one of the world's largest undercover police operations in history.
'LSD Millionaires: Operation Julie' broadcast on BBC 2 Wales on 1 March 2007 went behind-the-scenes of Operation Julie - an intensive and specialist police operation to bust an LSD ring that was, at one point, supplying drugs to customers in two thirds of the countries in the world - sleepy, rural Tregaron didn't know what had hit it!
The 70s saw a period of cultural change taking place in Wales with the drug LSD even managing to find its way to some of the most remote parts of the country. An influx of newcomers started to flood into the area in search of an idyllic peace or an alternative way of life.
Operation Julie began when suspicions were raised about the authenticity of the new locals. The extravagant lifestyles and willingness to spend copious amounts of money started to attract attention - not only that of the locals but that of Dyfed Powys Police. It wasn't long before the Force started to look more closely at the goings-on in Tregaron.
Their first attempt to catch the gang in the act failed. So it was back to the drawing board. However, ring-leader Richard Kemp was involved in a fatal car accident and had his car impounded.
There was no sign of drugs but they did find pieces of paper that, when put together, spelt out hydrazine hydrate - a key ingredient for the manufacture of LSD. The net was starting to close and the police finally had something to tangible to go on - leading to the establishment of Britain's first drug busting team.
The investigation intensified and the police soon became suspicious that another LSD factory had been set up - this time in London. So a new leg of the investigation began and officers were deployed to explore.
The operation also spread to Yorkshire where officers investigated a glass making factory under the suspicion of supplying materials to the LSD manufacturers. With the cooperation of the glass factory owner the police planted secretly-marked utensils that were eventually used in the London LSD factory.
And so the police were ready for action. In March 1977, more than 87 homes across England and Wales were raided and the gang leaders caught.
The net had finally closed on the biggest LSD distribution the UK had ever seen. A year later, the gang of 17 appeared in court and were sentenced to a total of 120 years in prison.
your comments
Andrew, Bolton
It's all just a load of nonsense, the world is supposed to be everybody's place and a liberal place it doesn't belong to the government or the law makers or the police. There needs to be a full on civil world uprising to establish the wants and needs of all as it was intended. If we are not to experiment with chemicals then who invented chemistry.
Thu Jan 14 09:50:31 2010
trip, uk
don't criticize what you can't understand... lsd works for some and not others, besides where would we be without pink floyd?
Fri Jan 16 10:04:32 2009
Stan
For a proper view on LSD, which is, unlike its Schedule I status in the USA, a potential medicine, read "LSD Psychotherapy" by Stanislav Grof.
Sun Nov 30 19:34:25 2008
Ryan Williams from Plymouth
I think they should make cannabis legal
Wed Mar 19 10:10:35 2008
Christal Khat
Hoffman s orphan.
A witch without her brew
is like a fish without water
It takes one to know one
and the devil wasn't one.
For pains of becoming the magic brew could heal
and pleasure in unity within time standing still.
And far away stars could feel so closeyou could touch them.
Traveling through dimensions
refreshing sanity
following intuitions
and let mother Earth be.
Lucy o Lucycome back to me.
Thu Oct 25 08:04:00 2007
John, Isle of Uist
For some, LSD is as important as any religion. Busting an LSD manufacturing plant is nothing but the equivalent of busting a church, school or community hall. As long as nobody is causing any *real* crime, where is the trouble? Irrational anti-drug propaganda of the 1970s through to the modern day is to blame. How can the drug be the problem when the user is the one making the choice to take it? Psychoactive drug taking has been with us since the dawn of man. Other creatures also do it. We even feed potent catnip to our cats.
Fri Sep 14 09:23:30 2007
Ronald Hadley, St. Jean Whitney Stark
The people who got caught were mugs. The real instigators got away with it, didn't they! And the police, nine of them resigned from the force, including Dick Lee...wound up as a newsagent. Then he taught computer studies at a secondary modern or whatever.
Thu Apr 26 10:22:57 2007
Casey from Indiana
They should have never outlawed it!!!
Wed Mar 28 10:15:13 2007
tony from herefordshire
Richard Kemp should have got an O.B.E not 13 years.
Sat Mar 10 17:20:11 2007
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