THE man who has had more identities than my wife changes her mind arrived in Burnley under the name he was born with - Howard Marks.

He's one of those inexplicable people whose aura enters a room even before their human form.

For those who don't know him ... he's an extraordinary Oxford graduate who picked up three degrees for fun, he's the most infamous drugs smuggler in history, he was recruited as a spy by MI6 and later claimed to work for the Mexican secret service.

He has managed famous rock bands, been a friend of the stars and has worked in association with some of the world's most dangerous gangsters. But most of all he celebrates the use of drugs.

To pay for his sins he was handed a 25-year jail sentence in the US, of which he served seven.

But he lived to tell the tale ... and its telling the tale that is now giving him a nice little earner.

He has written two books of his exploits - Mr Nice and its sequel Senor Nice and is presently touring the country reading extracts.

His Burtonesque Welsh accent enriched the stories of daring and devilry but most of his audience appeared to be transfixed not so much by his Jackanory but simply by his sheer presence.

His income through selling cannabis at huge profits was at one time more than the gross national product of some countries.

So why he is all but worshipped by those who paid the street prices leaves me stumped.

But as I saw for myself his aura is alive and well and breezed through Burnley.