Dᴇᴀᴛʜ In Paradise real-life cop exposes truth about ‘ᴅʀᴜɢ raids and Nazis’

Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise’s self-billed real life cop Richard Preston has spilled secrets of the job.

Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise is a British-French crime drama series set on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie.

The show follows detectives from the British police force as they solve complex murder cases in a tropical setting. The series is known for its engaging storylines, picturesque locations, and a rotating cast of detectives.

Preston is a retired Manchester police officer who served in the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service. During his tenure, Richard encountered real-life situations that mirrored the fictional scenarios depicted in Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise. His experiences, including dealing with organized crime, voodoo practices, and pirates, are detailed in his book, “The Real Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise.”

Richard recounted his extraordinary experiences while serving in the Cayman Islands during the 1990s. His tenure involved confronting organized crime syndicates, executing large-scale ᴅʀᴜɢ busts, encountering voodoo practitioners, and facing armed pirates.

In his memoir, ‘The Real Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise,’ Preston details his arrest of a notorious voodoo doctor, Professor Marmaduke, and a dramatic encounter with a jeweller’s murderer known as Toadface, who managed to escape custody. Additionally, Preston speculates about a mysterious figure on the island whom he believes might have been an escaped Nazi.

Richard wrote in his memoir and told The Sun : “There were times when life was totally surreal. My work wasn’t unlike the TV show – except my stories are real. I’ve seen the real Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise a few times but it’s definitely a case of real life being a lot weirder!”

About the voodoo, Richard said: “I got a call to say there had been a fight in the bar he ran on Grand Cayman. When I asked him what he was a professor of and he said ‘spirits’ I thought, ‘Oh, here we go.’ We’d been warned during our first days of training that obeah was taken very seriously on the island. When I tried to question Marmaduke about threatening a young lad over the cost of a ‘spirit gift’ he took a swipe at me and I arrested him.”

About discovering a potential Nazi on the island, Richard said: “I felt a gut instinct that there was something very dodgy about him. He was mid-70s, tall, thin, darkly tanned with a totally bald head, lacking eyebrows or facial hair.  The large bags under his dark, hooded, piercing eyes made him a really ugly guy.”

Richard was called upon to help train local officers as the island dealt with an unusual surge in organized gangs involved in the trafficking of cannabis and cocaine.

In 1990, Preston was among 12 British police officers deployed to the Cayman Islands to assist in training local law enforcement, as the island faced a surge in organized crime, particularly in cannabis and cocaine trafficking. Upon arrival, he was issued a Colt .38 revolver and briefed on the dangers of voodoo, known locally as obeah. He described the experience as reminiscent of a Western, with officers instructed to fire 12 rounds at empty oil drums, an exercise that was both intimidating and unfamiliar.

Throughout his service, Preston encountered numerous challenges, including navigating the complexities of local customs and dealing with the pervasive influence of voodoo in the community. His memoir offers a candid and detailed account of his adventures, providing readers with an insight into the realities of law enforcement in a Caribbean setting.

The 14th season of Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise is set to finally begin airing in late January, the BBC has confirmed, with Don Gilet taking over the role of the lead detective in the show.

The upcoming series of the popular drama has been eagerly anticipated, with former EastEnders actor Don Gilet stepping into the role of lead detective DI Mervin Wilson, following Ralf Little’s departure as DI Neville Parker at the conclusion of the 13th series.