Blowback: Adventures of a Dope Smuggler

by Michael; Forwell Bullman

On 29 June 1988 Michael Forwell (aka The Fox) had it all - fast cars and speedboats, a nightclub in Bangkok, homes around the world. And a ship heading towards California carrying 72 tons of high-grade Thai marijuana, his last deal before going straight. On 30 June the DEA seized the ship in the biggest dope bust in history . . . and very soon Michael had nothing at all.

A mild-mannered, public school educated Englishman who abhors violence, Michael was not the most likely drug smuggler but he was certainly one of the most successful. Now he shares his astonishing adventures as he found ever more inventive ways to smuggle dope from South-East Asia to the US. By the eighties Michael was juggling aliases, dodging the authorities and making millions of dollars. Until that final deal, too good to pass by, went horribly wrong and he was forced to go on the lam.

Fast-paced and funny, "Blowback" takes us on an adrenalin-charged journey with a charming rogue, revealing the fun he had and the price he ultimately paid.

Genres: True Crime

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[audrey]

'No, listen!' Indignant, I flourished the long black-and-gold cigarette holder I'd taken to using, an affectation like my jade ring and diamond-and-jade Buddha necklace. 'Listen! What we need is a submarine. We'll pick up an ex-navy submarine at auction, paint it yellow, fill the missile silos with dope. When we get in range we'll shoot the dope into San Francisco harbour.'

So it's three stars for the book, two for the dude. Let me explain.

There is a certain baseline of enjoyment to be had by reading feats of high speed, underwater, exploding derring-do. There's a certain amount of unhealthy interest to be had in reading about successful criminal endeavors of the 1970s and 80s (if you're me). And when you add to those that the book is decently written and the scale of the criminal endeavor was moving actual multiple tons of dope across open oceans and the result is a little jaw-dropping.

This dude's *definitely* been the thinly veiled villain of at least one episode of Miami Vice.

Once we'd loaded our six tons [of marijuana] on to the ship and sailed it off the coast of San Francisco we could smuggle the dope into the city aboard the cigarette boats. And here's the clever bit: we'd catapult the boats off the deck at the back of the Encounter Bay. And that is exactly what we did.

But here's the thing: all this story is soured mightily by the fact that the dude being profiled is deeply unpleasant. He's not really self-aware and doesn't really regret anything he did, and basically spent his entire life partying until the feds caught up with him (which they did, and I have never rooted so hard for agents of the state in. my. life.)

Forwell marries in his mid-20s and doesn't tell his wife he's an international dope smuggler. So, he continues to go off on three month business trips to other countries, and jets down to Singapore not just for boys weekends but basically in the same kind of way other people jog down their local. His wife apparently remains clueless for the next fifteen years, and when Forwell confesses to her because he's about to be arrested, she's understandably not pleased. He goes into hiding, loses all his money, decides he's too lonely in exile and sends for his wife and kids -- and promptly gets his wife arrested and significantly jailed as a smuggling accomplice.

I-- look, the divorce papers would be delivered at 90 miles an hour, on the end of an arrow, and on fire.

Anyway, there's a lot of fascinating and wild stories here that are largely spoiled by the author's personality, but give props to good storytelling at least. Unlike the author, who thanks in the Acknowledgements the smuggling buddy who testified against his wife at her trial and lied, and not his wife or kids.

I am out of italics.

[Paul]

great book...i thoroughly enjoyed every minute

[Jane]

An easy read. Adventurous and thoroughly likable.

[Brian Haining]

Great read. It's just extraordinary how Michael Forwell lived his life.
He craved travel and adventure and certainly achieved both. He tells his story in a very matter of fact way and covers both the highs and lows of his 'career', and the price he paid. He was incarcerated for years and missed for a large part his family growing up. At the conclusion, I get the impression that he'd do it all again?

[Sie]

Interesting read, i wouldn't normally read a biography.

[Zoe Carney]

Interesting story of a real life gentleman crook. You feel a little like you've heard this story before - how he wasn't a bad guy really, how he never laid a finger on anyone etc etc - but it's a fun yarn, entertainingly told. The people Forwell meets during his career, the places he sees, the scams he somehow pulls off are all vividly depicted here, and he comes across as a genuinely charming chap.

In short, I rather enjoyed it - but I'm glad it was a charity shop purchase rather than full cover price. Not something I think people should go out of their way to read.

[Jillian]

Pretty good.

[Melanie Wight]

An easy read with a fast moving pace

[The Devine Ms Em]

A history of the marijuana trade from the inside.

[Bartholomu Jangles]

Good fun easy read about smuggling dope in the 70's & 80's.