A former Oxford drug smuggler turned author - known as 'Mr Nice' - has died. 

Howard Marks, 70, announced he had inoperable bowel cancer last year. 

Marks launched his criminal career from posh frock shop Annabelinda in Gloucester Green before beginning a 25-year jail sentence in America in 1990.

But six years, later the master of disguise, who had 43 aliases, was freed on parole and began to write his autobiography Mr Nice. 

It soon became a best-seller, with the former Ballioll College student being given a column in Loaded magazine for five years while his book was turned into a film starring Rhys Ifans. 

It was while studying physics at the college in the early 1960s that Marks first dabbled with drugs and in his third year his Paradise Square lodgings were raided by police. No charges were brought.

On graduating, he helped launch the Annabelinda chain of clothes shops and advised to two owners to move from their workshop in Park End Street and set up shop in Gloucester Green. 

This provided him with the front he needed and while the dress-making firm thrived, the owners were totally unaware of the drug-smuggling business Marks was running from an upstairs office. 

At one stage he was smuggling up to 50 tons of cannabis into America and Europe.

Using his aliases, he was able to operate 25 companies to cover his drug dealing.

In his book, Marks recalled how the boutique became too small for his lifestyle.

He said: "It was odd: I had enough money to retire for the rest of my life, but I wanted more, lots more.

"My lifestyle was becoming unacceptably flash and Oxfordshire family country life lost its charm.

"London clubs took the place of Oxford pubs. At this point I was recruited for the British Secret Service."

When the drugs squad finally caught up with him in Holland and raided his cottage in Yarnton he had more than charm and Oxford contacts.

The father of four stood for election to Parliament in 1997 on a single-issue ticket of reforming cannabis laws. 

He also regularly toured in a one-man show in which he recounted stories about drug smuggling and his time in prison.