RAW OPIUM.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 127, 1 June 1938, Page 9

RAW OPIUM.

SMUGGLER CAUGHT.

FINE OF £150 IMPOSED. LARGE AMOUNT CONFISCATED. (From Our Own Correspondent.) SUVA, May 25. Horace Malfathi, one of the crew of the steamer Eridan, was cliarped in the Suva Police Court with smuggling opium into the colony. The Eridan arrived from Marseilles, via Papeete, and on landing. defendant was intercepted l>y Mr. A. W . -lames. i Customs o!lic-r. He escaped from custody. bill was pursued by a Fijian. who recaptured 11 iti.. A se.m-Ii re\caled ti>e and <|uaiter pound- "1 raw opium in three par'-'-!-, two wrapped i<iund his calve-. and tue thud in the small ot his back. The >aluc of I '•»- opium in thir- State is about £4" a ;»»m 1. Defendant was jined £]."•'!. in default six months' imprisonment Die line was pai''. Kollowinp the arre-t of Malfatbi a search of the \e--el ie-ulted ill the di--coverv of a further J.'Jlb of raw opium in the butchery. T«o of tlie crew. Sylvestre Orsini. the butcher, and -Jean l'oii. the freezer, weie arreste<l and charged with import?!;:: opium into the colony. They found not euihy and di-c], Hie magistrate then ordci<-d the confiscation of the opium. The police evidence was Ir. th<- ciT'-et that the defendant l'oii Ma- «at visit inp a number of Cliiin-c st,,re- -.n the town. He was arre-ti-d. w:t 'i another Frenchman. and taken to the police station, where the >üb-Inspect or said there was a strong sm< 11 raw opium on I'oli's hands. lollnwinp a search of the ship the opium wa- found hidden in the refrijreralinn space, and Orsini was al-o arrested- Roth men denied anv knowledge of the opium and the Mapi-trate held that they would have to be in possession to import and, as it appeared that other members of the crew could pain ace-- to the refrigerator, they must have the benefit of the doubt.