Drug Wars
The Terrifying Inside Story of Britain’s Drug Trade
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Drug Wars
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Narrated by:
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Neil Woods
About this listen
Random House presents the audiobook edition of Drug Wars by Neil Woods and J S Rafaeli, read by Neil Woods.
To know the true story behind a war, ask the people who fought it.
An observation van is running surveillance on a high-level Bradford gangster. Suddenly the van is surrounded by men in balaclavas and tied shut. Out comes the can of petrol. It is set alight and the two cops inside barely escape with their lives. This incident is never reported. The gangsters clearly have informants inside the police and alerting the public would undermine the force. Everyone shrugs it off – with so much money in the drugs game, corruption is part and parcel of the whole deal.
From the bestselling author of Good Cop Bad War, Neil Woods, comes the first inside history of Britain’s War on Drugs told by those who were there.
Calling upon the gripping first-hand accounts from those on both sides of the battle – the cops and the gangsters – as well as Neil Wood’s experiences as an undercover drugs detective, Drug Wars will build a complex, authentic and terrifying picture of the reality of the drug war in Britain.
Beginning with the Misuse of Drugs Act in 1971, we watch decades of violence, racial tension, organised crime and a monumental increase in addiction unfold. We see the birth of rave music and dance culture, and yet even more tabloid hysteria. And throughout, we look at the huge numbers of civilians that have fallen victim to Britain’s war on drugs.
©2018 Neil Woods and J S Rafaeli (P)2018 Random House AudiobooksListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"Anyone who cares about Britain should read this extraordinary and riveting book. It will change how you see our country - and lots of things that seemed strange will start to make sense." (Johann Hari)
"If you want to understand how Britain succumbed to a self-defeating war on drugs benefiting only the most vicious gangsters, this book is the perfect primer with its highly-readable fusion of analysis, history and first person testimonies from the front line." (Ian Birrell)
What listeners say about Drug Wars
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Nikki gibb
- 05-09-21
interesting read
interesting to learn about how drugs have influenced our society in this country and others
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 17-07-22
Fascinating Review
We hear so much on the US perspective of the war on drugs, finally, we have a UK insight into how drugs have affected the UK landscape. I also didn't know about the historical perspective in the UK prior to the 1960s of the approach to the management of recreational drugs and that approach was now consistent with current medical evidence that the treatment of chronic addiction is first and foremost a medical problem. The depth and breadth of the work by the authors has been excellent
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- PD 5570
- 20-02-20
Good Read
A little slow to start but it picks up. Not as good as his other book.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- neil stafford
- 25-10-19
Excellent
A fantastic listen, educational on so many aspects of the drugs and crime spectrum.
It has left me thinking that the solution may well be the legalisation of drugs, it could cure so many of the problems
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- Rob
- 22-06-19
Vital reading for any politician
A well researched and presentable case for the British System over prohibition. Thought provoking and entertaining with pitch perfect reading.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Rambo
- 06-04-19
Remarkable read.
so interesting, thought it might be a bit dry but it is a fascinating read.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Stuey
- 18-05-19
Eye opening
Amazing information and shocking. I wish the powers that be could read this and understand the decisions they make has such impact and a knock on effect. Definitely changed my view on the war on drugs
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- ben nisbet
- 24-06-19
Excellent
The best book on British drug history that I have read. Informative, honest and relavent.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Jim Vaughan
- 18-11-20
Why the War on Drugs is Evil
This is the shocking first hand reality of how the “War on Drugs” ruins lives, spreads addiction, corrupts police and pumps billions of dollars into organised crime - told by an ex-undercover Drug Squad officer. The smarter the police get, the nastier the criminals must become. This is the tragic story of how the humane and pragmatic “British System” was pushed out and replaced with US prohibition and criminalisation in the fight against drugs, and how that has spectacularly backfired. The “Just say no” architects of prohibition, as well as the tabloid press who fan the flames of moral panic, have serious blood on their hands. Ironically, it is from within the police themselves, that the greatest hope for a return to the British System style of harm reduction comes. Where it’s been tried (often out of police budgets), crime rates have plummeted.
I read this after reading “Good Cop, Bad War” by the same authors, which is also an excellent book, as an account of Neil Woods time as an undercover drug squad officer. If you like true stories of daring and danger, I also really recommend it.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Minty
- 22-10-19
Very informative
Excellent read. Very in-depth and thorough. Gives a real insight into what I personally have thought for a long time. Legalise drugs and control it. This will solve many many problems in society. But this will never happen as too many people male too much money from it.
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