Leeds businessman dies following cancer diagnosis

FORMER drug dealer, author and restaurant owner in Leeds city centre, Howard Marks, has passed away aged 70.

Howard Marks, described as a “local legend” on his restaurant’s site, was well known as a drug dealer in the 1970s and 80s.

In Leeds, he is best known locally as the owner of Azucar, a South American restaurant, plastered with Mr Marks’ travel memorabilia.

He was arrested in 1988 in the US and imprisoned in 1990 on drugs charges. He was sentenced to 25 years but released on parole in 1995 for good behavior.

Mr Marks claimed on his Twitter bio that during the mid 1980s, he had 43 aliases, 89 phone lines, and 25 companies trading throughout the world.

In his later years he was better known for writing a book about his experienced, Mr Nice, which was adapted into a film starring Rhys Ifans. He said: “You have to live life to write about it.”