Controversial Welsh man Howard Marks has been touring the country with tales of his life as a drug smuggler, and talked candidly at The Trojan Rooms in Whitley Bay about when he was caught smuggling marijuana at Heathrow Airport, and his quest to become "straight" by becoming a Drug Czar.

Offering up annecdotes about life in prison, sniffer dogs, and running from the police, the mixed audience was captivated with his stories.

Where he once earned his millions smuggling dope from country to country, charismatic Marks now makes his way with hilarious talks like these, that provide an insight into a world most would never get to see.

Tales of his many aliases, passports, and time as a secret agent, sound like something from a Hollywood script – and that is exactly what they are about to be turned into.

Already promising to return to the region in October, Marks is getting an ever growing fan base which is sure only to increase with the production of the film of his life, starring friend and fellow Welsh man Rhys Ifans.