HASHISH SMUGGLING.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 77, 1 April 1913, Page 7

HASHISH SMUGGLING.

AMUSING DEVICES IN EGYPT. STORY OF A LADY. Once more hashish smugglers are becoming active, and the Custom author!ties of Egypt have succeeded in making some important hauls. One of its recent noteworthy captures was a consignment addressed to a well-known English company in Alexandria. The consignment consisted of twenty-eight cases of sweets from Belgium. The company in question had signed an agreement with the Customs whereby, subject to an inspection of its books at any time the authorities chose, all its shipments were to be passed unopened on presentation of invoices duly certified by it. This agreement is the usual one made with all respectable importers under the Customs Convention.

Application was made by the clearer for the passage unopened of this consignment of sweets, and, the papers being in order, permission was given. However, between the granting of this permission and the exit of the goods from the Customs house, a certain time elapsed, and, in the interval, some one whispered the word "hashish."

Nothing could be done at the time, but as the cases left the yard, one of the inspectors picked out one and asked to have it opened. To his astonishment, for no one credited the information given, since the importers wore such a respected English firm, he found the case contained jars, one quarter filled with sweets, but the other three-quarters full of hashish. Thereupon all the cases were opened, and their contents were found to be the same.

This discovery lias created a sensation, in view of the firm concerned. It is considered that the company is in no way implicated, but that it has been made a tool of by. tbe smuggling confraternity. BULKY DAMSEL. Another case, which reminds one of the dodges resorted to by lace-smugglers, is reported from Port Said. A well-dressed European damsel of somewhat bulky proportions appeared at the railway station and took her ticket for Cairo.

Stout ladies are more the rule than the exception in the country, and the size of this passenger should not have attracted any attention. But for some reason the policeman on duty was suspicious, and asked her to accompany him to the office. She "was made to undress, and was found to have a good quantit\' of hashish, four okes (111b.) being packed round her legs! CLEVER TRICK. A third and most mysterious case occurred later. A box arrived by the Austrian Lloyd steamer,' and, as no one claimed it, it was placed in the store. The Customs were informed that it contained hashish, and, to ascertain whether this was so, boles -were bored into it. Having found that their information was correct, tbe box was carefully watched, and orders were given to detain tbe consignee when he claimed it.

Some mornings later, by the merest chance, the inspector in charge of the shed happened to kick the box, and discovered it was- remarkably light for its size. Closer investigation was made, and it was found that it was empty—all the hashish had been removed! The authorities are at a loss to discover how this clever trick was played on them, for tbe box during the daytime had never been out of sight of responsible and trusted officials, in whose chargo it had been specially placed, whilst at night the precautions are such that the stores cannot be broken into, nor can anything be removed. As the market price of hashish to-day in Cairo is over tliirty shillings a pound, and the drug costs, alongside quay, Alexandria, but a shilling or so per pound, it can be understood that it pays the smugglers to resort to all these elaborate and expensive devices for dodging the vigilance of the authorities.