In Search of Smiles: LSD, Operation Julie and Beyond

by Andy Roberts

The life of Alston Hughes, aka Smiles, is an extraordinary journey through Britain’s counter-culture and illicit drug networks in the late twentieth century. A key figure in the Microdot Gang conspiracy, Smiles shifted millions of doses of LSD before being arrested in 1977 by Operation Julie—the police investigation which unearthed what was then the largest LSD manufacturing and distribution operation of its kind.

Based on a series of interviews, Andy Roberts’ In Search of Smiles is an enthralling folkloric biography of a life lived to the full, and a culture pushed to the edge. From a tough upbringing in postwar Manchester, to free festivals, hashish smuggling, and travels to South Asia, Smiles’ cat and mouse adventure with the authorities weaves through an intimate portrayal of his life, relationships, and community in the village of Llanddewi Brefi and beyond.

304 pages, Paperback

Published June 7, 2023

Reviews

[Andy Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote it so am bound to give the book a good review! I think it is a biography that anyone would enjoy, irrespective of what they think about the subject matter of drugs. Yes, it’s the story of one of the UK’s most prolific LSD dealers who was caught up in Operation Julie in the mind 70s. But it’s much more than that and is really the story of a modern day adventurer who bestrode the world of LSD and hashish for several decades.

[Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was sadly disappointed with this book and have to suspect that the author is very closely associated to Smiles and his criminal past. The story of Operation Julie is a fascinating one and well documented in a whole range of books, but all the author appears to want to do is belittle the cops that were involved, particularly the undercover officers, and to tell everyone how wonderful LSD is. I don’t think the parents and families of those who have died or ended up in hospital as a result of taking LSD would agree with him. I was left feeling bitterly disappointed at the lost opportunity and wondering if indeed the author Andy Roberts was indeed Smiles?

[Kieran Telo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good read and Andy Roberts makes a particularly good job of introducing a very wide and varied dramatis personae. All are presented as fully rounded characters, though perhaps not the authority figures who ultimately bring down a rather wonderful conspiracy to make the world a little more fun. Ain’t that always the way.