The Infiltrators: The First Inside Account of Life Deep Undercover with Scotland Yard's Most Secret Unit

Philip Etienne and Martin Maynard are two of London's most successful villains. They specialize mainly in drugs, trading huge amounts of cocaine, ecstasy, crack and cannabis. They also deal in guns, stolen cars, credit cards and pretty much anything else that comes their way. And business is booming; crime does pay. Martin drives a brand-new top-of-the-range BMW, Philip a slick Mercedes. When they hit town their wallets are fat with banknotes. If a deal looks good they can lay their hands on hundreds of thousands of pounds in cash at a moment's notice. They can be contacted only through word-of-mouth recommendation. Only too aware that you can never be sure who's listening in, they never brag about their exploits. Tough, streetwise, professional and absolutely fearless, they're the kind of men other crooks feel comfortable dealing with. And that's just the idea, because Philip and Martin are undercover police officers. Revealed for the first time, "The Infiltrators" is the story of Scotland Yard's covert operations from the two men in the front line. It's an intense, unpredictable world of gangsters, drug dealers, contract killers and gun runners where any mistake can have lethal consequences. We're lucky they're the good guys!

Philip Etienne and Martin Maynard spent their police careers working for SO10, the Metropolitan Police's undercover unit.Tony Thompson is the crime correspondent of the Observer.