Stephen Roffe has opened up about his days smuggling hash from Morocco to Europe via Gibraltar
The darker side of boating has been exposed in a new memoir from retired drug runner Stephen Roffe.
After spending a lifetime working at sea and several years smuggling cannabis from North Africa into Europe via Gibraltar, Roffe has written of his experiences in ‘Beyond Hercules: An inside story of the Moroccan hash trade’.
At the climax of the book, Roffe signs up for one last job; using the 1987 Fastnet Race to sneak millions of pounds of cargo into England, using the racing yachts as cover.
The author, who now lives in Portugal, admits that he wasn’t often challenged by the authorities:
“The biggest danger was risk – not of being caught, but racing speedboats at full throttle on moonless nights across one of the world’s busiest waterways.”
“While there was no organised gang and no main players, collectively tens of millions of pounds were made doing what was enjoyable and relatively easy work.”
Out now through Indie Publishing, ‘Beyond Hercules’ is available on Amazon for £6.35.
