Operation Julie
Encyclopedia
Operation Julie was a UK police
investigation into the production of LSD by two drug rings during the mid-1970s. The operation, involving 11 police forces over a two-and-a-half year period, resulted in the break-up of one of the largest LSD manufacturing operations in the world. It culminated in 1977 with enough LSD to make 6.5 million ‘tabs’ (with a street value of £6.5million) being seized, 120 people arrested in the UK and France and over £800,000 discovered in Swiss bank accounts.
Unable to effectively distribute the LSD they had made, they turned to Henry Todd to handle sales. At this point the organisation was based in Cambridge. Later Todd enrolled Leaf Fielding as a tabletter, responsible for turning the raw material into accurately measured doses.
In 1973, the producers had a bust-up with the distributors and production ceased for a time. Kemp and Solomon set about trying to organise another distribution network and recommenced LSD production in west-Wales. Todd recruited a chemist, Andy Munro, to synthesise LSD for his distribution network at a laboratory they set up in Hampton Wick, Greater London. There were now two separate functioning organisations.
In 1975, Todd and Fielding changed roles. Todd took over the tabletting, Fielding ran the distribution network, supplying Russell Spencely who in turn supplied Alston Hughes. From Hughes, the LSD was distributed to a number of wholesale dealers in Wales and Birmingham.
In April 1975, Kemp’s red Range Rover was involved in a fatal accident with a car near Machynlleth, a passenger in the other car being killed. Kemp was known to Detective Inspector Dick Lee of the Thames Valley Drug Squad as a possible suspect in the drugs trade and when police searched his car they found six pieces of paper which, after being reconstructed, spelt hydrazine hydrate - a key ingredient in the manufacture of LSD. This crucial lead gave police their first vital clue into the drug ring operating in west Wales.
In April 1976, a selection of 28 undercover drug squad officers from 10 police forces were chosen and sent to Devizes
in Wiltshire
where they were trained to go undercover as hippies in Wales. In May 1976, the undercover police moved into a farmhouse in Bronwydd overlooking Kemp's cottage. Initially, locals took them for birdwatchers but as the undercover operation progressed from weeks into months, female officers were added. The first name of one of these surveillance officers, Police Sergeant Julie Taylor, was used as the operation’s code name.
Surveillance of Kemp noted his regular 50-mile commutes between his home in Tregaron
and Plas Llysyn, an old mansion owned by an American friend Paul Joseph Arnaboldi, in Carno
near Llanidloes
. The mansion was watched by police from an old caravan and people arriving were monitored. Lee instructed police to break into the mansion. In the cellar, police took water samples which chemically matched LSD samples the police had.
Kemp and Bott’s home was now put under 24 hour surveillance and listening devices were installed.
. This was the LSD laboratory run by Todd and Munro. Glass utensils used in this laboratory had been secretly marked by police at the factory that produced them in Yorkshire.
At Kemp's home a package containing £11,000 was found as well LSD crystals and tabletting equipment. At Carno, laboratory equipment was dug out of a well. A further raid in the Dordogne
region in France located documents that detailed and proved the LSD business had been immense. Details of French and Swiss accounts were found as well as share certificates.
On 1 December 1977, officers researched Kemp's cottage and dug up a large plastic box that contained 1.3 kg of LSD crystal - enough to create 6.5 million doses.
In 1978, 15 defendants appeared at Bristol Crown Court
. It took a month for the prosecution to deliver the incriminating evidence. Kemp pleaded guilty and received 13 years in jail, as did Todd. Fielding and Hughes were sentenced to 8 years. In total, the 15 defendants received a combined 120 years in jail.
After seizure it was estimated the cost of LSD tabs rose from £1 to £5 each, and that Operation Julie had removed 90% of LSD from the British market. It is thought that LSD produced by the two labs had been exported to over 100 countries. In total, 1.1 million tabs and enough LSD crystal to make a further 6.5 million, were discovered and destroyed. The total street value of the LSD would have been £7.6 million.
and broadcast on ITV
in 1985, closely following the events of the case from the police point of view. It was directed by Bob Mahoney
.
The song "Julie's Been Working for the Drug Squad" by The Clash
, from their second album Give 'em Enough Rope
, takes its name from Operation Julie.
In December 2010, Welsh actor Matthew Rhys
bought the film rights to the book.
In July 2011, Leaf Fielding’s To Live Outside the Law, will give the first insider account of Operation Julie.
Policing in the United Kingdom
Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in each of the legal systems of the United Kingdom: England & Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland ....
investigation into the production of LSD by two drug rings during the mid-1970s. The operation, involving 11 police forces over a two-and-a-half year period, resulted in the break-up of one of the largest LSD manufacturing operations in the world. It culminated in 1977 with enough LSD to make 6.5 million ‘tabs’ (with a street value of £6.5million) being seized, 120 people arrested in the UK and France and over £800,000 discovered in Swiss bank accounts.
Background
The two LSD rings broken by Operation Julie had begun life as one organisation. Its founders were David Solomon, a psychedelic revolutionary and author, and Richard Kemp, a chemist, who first successfully synthesized LSD in 1969.Unable to effectively distribute the LSD they had made, they turned to Henry Todd to handle sales. At this point the organisation was based in Cambridge. Later Todd enrolled Leaf Fielding as a tabletter, responsible for turning the raw material into accurately measured doses.
In 1973, the producers had a bust-up with the distributors and production ceased for a time. Kemp and Solomon set about trying to organise another distribution network and recommenced LSD production in west-Wales. Todd recruited a chemist, Andy Munro, to synthesise LSD for his distribution network at a laboratory they set up in Hampton Wick, Greater London. There were now two separate functioning organisations.
In 1975, Todd and Fielding changed roles. Todd took over the tabletting, Fielding ran the distribution network, supplying Russell Spencely who in turn supplied Alston Hughes. From Hughes, the LSD was distributed to a number of wholesale dealers in Wales and Birmingham.
In April 1975, Kemp’s red Range Rover was involved in a fatal accident with a car near Machynlleth, a passenger in the other car being killed. Kemp was known to Detective Inspector Dick Lee of the Thames Valley Drug Squad as a possible suspect in the drugs trade and when police searched his car they found six pieces of paper which, after being reconstructed, spelt hydrazine hydrate - a key ingredient in the manufacture of LSD. This crucial lead gave police their first vital clue into the drug ring operating in west Wales.
Operation Julie
The discovery in Kemp’s car prompted the establishment of Britain's first combined drug busting operation led by Dick Lee. On 17 February 1976, a meeting at Brecon involving a number of chief constables and senior drug squad officers formed a multiforce operation. This was the beginning of Operation Julie.In April 1976, a selection of 28 undercover drug squad officers from 10 police forces were chosen and sent to Devizes
Devizes
Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The town is about southeast of Chippenham and about east of Trowbridge.Devizes serves as a centre for banks, solicitors and shops, with a large open market place where a market is held once a week...
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
where they were trained to go undercover as hippies in Wales. In May 1976, the undercover police moved into a farmhouse in Bronwydd overlooking Kemp's cottage. Initially, locals took them for birdwatchers but as the undercover operation progressed from weeks into months, female officers were added. The first name of one of these surveillance officers, Police Sergeant Julie Taylor, was used as the operation’s code name.
Surveillance of Kemp noted his regular 50-mile commutes between his home in Tregaron
Tregaron
Tregaron is a market town in the county of Ceredigion, Wales, lying on the River Brenig , a tributary of the River Teifi. The town is twinned with Plouvien, in Finistere, France. According to the 2001 Census, Tregaron's population was 1,183, of whom 68.8% spoke Welsh fluently.-History:Tregaron...
and Plas Llysyn, an old mansion owned by an American friend Paul Joseph Arnaboldi, in Carno
Carno
Carno is a village in Powys, Mid Wales. It is located on the main A470 road between Llanbrynmair & Caersws.The local railway station, on the Cambrian Line, closed as part of the Beeching closures in the 1965. An ongoing campaign started in August 2009 for its reopening, with the Welsh Assembly...
near Llanidloes
Llanidloes
Llanidloes is a town along the A470 road and B4518 road in Powys, within the historic county boundaries of Montgomeryshire , Mid Wales.It is the first town on the River Severn...
. The mansion was watched by police from an old caravan and people arriving were monitored. Lee instructed police to break into the mansion. In the cellar, police took water samples which chemically matched LSD samples the police had.
Kemp and Bott’s home was now put under 24 hour surveillance and listening devices were installed.
London connection
In October 1976 a police team based at RAF Hendon monitored a house (first from a van, then from a house overlooking the property) in Seymour Road, Hampton WickHampton Wick
Hampton Wick is a Thames-side area, formerly a village, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in London, England.Famous for its market gardens until well into the twentieth century, it is now commuter-belt territory, housing developments having been built on these areas...
. This was the LSD laboratory run by Todd and Munro. Glass utensils used in this laboratory had been secretly marked by police at the factory that produced them in Yorkshire.
Raids, arrests and trial
On 26 March 1977, after 13 months of surveillance, Operation Julie officers swooped on 87 homes in England and Wales. The gang leaders were caught and a total of 120 suspects were arrested.At Kemp's home a package containing £11,000 was found as well LSD crystals and tabletting equipment. At Carno, laboratory equipment was dug out of a well. A further raid in the Dordogne
Dordogne
Dordogne is a départment in south-west France. The départment is located in the region of Aquitaine, between the Loire valley and the High Pyrénées named after the great river Dordogne that runs through it...
region in France located documents that detailed and proved the LSD business had been immense. Details of French and Swiss accounts were found as well as share certificates.
On 1 December 1977, officers researched Kemp's cottage and dug up a large plastic box that contained 1.3 kg of LSD crystal - enough to create 6.5 million doses.
In 1978, 15 defendants appeared at Bristol Crown Court
Bristol Crown Court
The Crown Court at Bristol is a Crown Court venue in Bristol, England. It is located at the Law Courts in Small Street.The building which was known as the Bristol Guildhall was built in the 1840s by Richard Shackleton Pope. The assize courts were attached to the rear of the Guildhall between...
. It took a month for the prosecution to deliver the incriminating evidence. Kemp pleaded guilty and received 13 years in jail, as did Todd. Fielding and Hughes were sentenced to 8 years. In total, the 15 defendants received a combined 120 years in jail.
After seizure it was estimated the cost of LSD tabs rose from £1 to £5 each, and that Operation Julie had removed 90% of LSD from the British market. It is thought that LSD produced by the two labs had been exported to over 100 countries. In total, 1.1 million tabs and enough LSD crystal to make a further 6.5 million, were discovered and destroyed. The total street value of the LSD would have been £7.6 million.
Cultural references
A three-part television drama, called Operation Julie, was made by Tyne Tees TelevisionTyne Tees Television
Tyne Tees Television is the ITV television franchise for North East England and parts of North Yorkshire. As of 2009, it forms part of a non-franchise ITV Tyne Tees & Border region, shared with the ITV Border region...
and broadcast on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
in 1985, closely following the events of the case from the police point of view. It was directed by Bob Mahoney
Bob Mahoney
Robert Paul "Bob" Mahoney was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Browns in and .-External links:...
.
The song "Julie's Been Working for the Drug Squad" by The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
, from their second album Give 'em Enough Rope
Give 'Em Enough Rope
Give 'Em Enough Rope is the second studio album by the English punk rock band The Clash. It was released on 10 November 1978 through CBS Records. It was their first album released in the United States, preceding the US version of The Clash...
, takes its name from Operation Julie.
In December 2010, Welsh actor Matthew Rhys
Matthew Rhys
Matthew Rhys Evans , known professionally as Matthew Rhys, is a Welsh actor, best known as Kevin Walker on the U.S. ABC family drama Brothers & Sisters, and as Dylan Thomas in The Edge of Love.-Early life:...
bought the film rights to the book.
In July 2011, Leaf Fielding’s To Live Outside the Law, will give the first insider account of Operation Julie.