SMUGGLING DRUGS

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXV, Issue 12365, 1 July 1937, Page 4

SMUGGLING DRUGS

LUKE OF HAPPY DREAMS

VOUCH BATTLE OF WITS WITH

RUNNERS

(From a Special Correspondent). London, June 12

Mysterious illnesses of women in different pa/ts of England during the past few months have led to the discovery of dope-smuggling on a scale which is worrying the authorities. These illnesses have been traced to hashish smoking. Hashish is tl\e dried root of a plant grown in the Lebanon mountains and sent all over the world, principally to Egypt. Many of these smugglers are Moslem women, who carry this highly-prized drug in their clothing. The drug is smuggled into England principally by Arab and Chinese sailors and firemen. Cardiff is one of the important centres of distribution. - “Whenever we see a dock-side cafe attracting bigger crowds, particularly of women, than usual,” said a Cardiff police official, “we want to know why. As a rule there is only one reason—hashish.” A pin-head of hashish may cost as much as £1 or more. The effect of hashish is to send the addict into a deep sleep in which comes dreams of happiness. A Cardiff Customs official described some of the difficulties with which the waterguard officers contend in trying to stop this smuggling. “A fistful of hashish,” he said, “would be worth some hundreds of pounds, and so the risk is well worth taking.”

One of the new smuggling methods is to pack an ounce or two of hashish in a waterproof bag. This is tied to a bag of salt weighing two or three pounds, which is thrown out of a port hole. The ba gsinks at once, but after some hours the salt has dissolved, and a piece of wood put in the bag gives sufficient buoyancy to bring the bag to the surface for boatmen to pick up. “We are making a new drive against this dope-running,” said a Cardiff waterguard officer. “It is a continuous battle of wits.”