Roy Francis Adkins (4 October 1947 – 28 September 1990) was an English gangster. He was a recognised

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

gangland figure during the 1970s and 80s.

Biography

Adkins started his career in robbery and, as with many criminal figures during that period, moved into

drug smuggling The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of drug prohibition, prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibitionism, prohibit trade, except under license, ...

, primarily

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...

. He had a reputation for a quick temper and for being very physically imposing and strong and was a feared figure for many years. During the 1980s he became partners with Klaas Bruinsma in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and was allegedly appointed as head of the drugs division of the Bruinsma organisation. Adkins was implicated in April 1990 in the murder in Spain of ex train robber Charles Wilson although this was never proven. Adkins was involved in a fight and shoot out with Bruinsma in the famous Amsterdam night club/brothel Yab Yum and his refusal to submit or back down to Bruinsma is widely believed to have directly led to his murder.

Death

On 28 September 1990, Adkins was seen with two

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

n men at the American Hotel,

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

. According to Adkins' past accomplice, Sam O'Neil, Adkins had been smuggling stolen

emerald Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr. and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991) ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York, p ...

s through the

for the Colombians, however, one shipment had been stolen. O'Neil had seen Adkins in the American Hotel's Nightwatch bar, though Adkins had indicated O'Neil should move along. Some time later that evening, Adkins was shot dead. After his death, the Metropolitan Police seized £900,000 as it was suspected to be proceeds of crime. These assets were later released after an appeal from the legatees of the Will. In 1993, police considered reopening the investigation into Adkins' and Wilson's murders due to the murder of Donald Urquhart.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adkins, Roy Francis 1947 births 1990 deaths British people murdered abroad Criminals from London English drug traffickers English gangsters Deaths by firearm in the Netherlands Male murder victims Murdered British gangsters Organised crime in London People from Hammersmith People murdered by Dutch organized crime Unsolved murders in the Netherlands 1990 murders in the Netherlands

Biography

Death

See also

References