Last week's speaker: Andy Bell - Undercover Cop
Posted by Franz Huber
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What do you call a Policeman in bed? An undercover cop.... [ok, I know, I'm asking for it... ☺ Ed.]. But that is exactly what it would appear Andy's job was. Back in 1969 in New Zealand, he got his first assignment to go undercover, with a princely expense allowance of $50 and a direct phone number to the head of the Drug Squad, to crack a major drug importing gang. But we are getting ahead of the story: Andy, at the time a uniformed policeman, had a problem to go undercover: he had short hair which, in the late sixties and early seventies depicted you to be either Army or Police. Unless... Andy gave himself out to have deserted from the British Army, then hiked from his native Scotland via Singapore. Singapore, under Lee Kuan Yew, had no tolerance for long hair. And it worked! . Adopting the name of Adrian McKellar (always ensure your first name initial is the same as your real name!), he had found himself at the Waterloo Hotel, where he managed to attract serious interest from a barmaid, who worked at the pub that was suspected to be a major hub of the trade. That then led to attracting the head lady of the organization named Jennifer Ann Wilkinson, who "appropriated" him entirely for herself... Nicknamed 'The Hiker', his initial deployment within the gang was to shoplift "to order". Yup, place your order for whatever you want, and Andy's gang would procure it. Earnings: about $1,200 a trip - in 1971 (wages were about $90.00 a week then).Not long after Andy graduate to distributing 'Buddha Sticks'. They were imported in 44 Gallon Drums, dumped outside the harbour from the importing ship and picked up by small vessels. His cut: $1 per stick- which earned him a cool $30,000 a year when his annual salary was about $10,000! Ultimately, Andy got the entire gang arrested...
Rather than retiring from undercover, Andy was soon assigned to infiltrate a gang threatening to cause serious disruption, including potential killings, during the upcoming visit of South Africa's Springboks Rugby team. Visualize Andy wearing appropriate clothing to get into a Hippie style gang: Seer sucker flares, platform shoes, lime green and maroon shirt, blue velvet jacket... The issue was serious enough that he was briefed by the Prime Minister of New Zealand and the Police Commissioner...
There is much more to the story! Andy has written a book about it: 'Adrenalin Rush - The Adventures of an Undercover Cop'. The Gold Coast Library has several copies. Pick it up!