"THE BLACK SMOKE."

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 215, 11 September 1929, Page 8

"THE BLACK SMOKE."

CHINESE AND OPIUM. RAID IN GREY'S AVENUE. ENTRY THROUGH FANLIGHT. NEARLY £90 LN FINES. Bamboo stems, complete pipes, cigarette tins containing wrapped opium and a brazier made from a kerosene tin were produced in the Police Court this morning when Detective Nalder told the story of a raid made by Detectives Packman, McWhirter and Mills and himself, at 52.. Grey's Avenue, last night. Jew Linn (or Jue Lum), a gardener, 39 years of age, admitted having allowed his house to be used for opium smoking, and Ah Clung (41) and Lowe Loong (34), fruiterers, and Ah Juin (31) and She Fong (72), laundrymen. were each charged before Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., with being found in possession of prepared opium. All five were represented'by Mr. L. K. Munro.

Shortly before 7.45 last night, said Detective Nalder, the police party went to Grey's Avenue and found the house securely locked, front and back. The doors were barred. As they crawled through a fanlight, they heard scuffling upstairs. Other doors bad to be forced before they could reach the uppper floor, nnd when they burst into the room they found all the accused (and another Chinese whom they allowed to leave) standing up. A fire was burning in the cut kerosene tin. and pipe?, smoking opium, pieces of pipes and other utensils for opium smoking were in the room. .All except one of them had their boots off. The men were told through an interpreter what they would be charged with, and Lowe Loong at once denial smoking. The man who was wearing his boots insisted that he had called at the house to collect money to help another Asiatic. Chief -Detective Hammond: The plane has been under observation for some time as the result of a complaint from the Health Department. The old man, She Fong, said Detective Nalder,- was getting some medicine. The others were standing round the tin, and pipes were burning. According to the story repeated by Mr. Munro. the man who had his boots on was collecting money to send a Wellington man back home to China. He had not been in the house long. Lowe Loong. Mr. Munro declared, was not a smoker, nnd She Fong was too old to be able to touch opium. Through an interpreter, Lowe Loong said that he did not smoke. His correct name was Lowe Ling. He had just gone in the front door two or three minutes before the police entered. Chief Detective Hammond: Perhaps he does not know that the police watched the place for three-quarters of an hour and that they know the door was not opened during that time. Jew Lum, who was convicted on the same charge six years ago, was fined £50. in default three months' imprisonment, and Ah Ching, Lowe Loong and Ah Jtnn were each fined £12 10/ or one month. The charge against She Fong was dismissed. The penalties in each case were the minimum.