Claim About Drug Shipments Denied
(New Zealand Press Association)
WELLINGTON. June 2S. Suggestions that Auckland was being used as a clearing station for the transshipment of drugs to the United States were denied by the Collector of Customs, Auckland (Mr G H. Lindsey), in a telephone interview today. More than £lOOO worth of prepared opium was discovered yesterday at Auckland on a Chinese seaman who landed from the freighter Van Cloon, anchored in the stream. The ship first arrived at Auckland on June 4. and has since called at ■Napier, Wellington. Lyttelton. and Dunedin before returning to Auckland.
A quantity of opium was discovered at Napier, and at Wellington customs officers gave the vessel a thorough search, but netted only a few watches. "Had there been another vessel in the stream or had the Van Cloon been tied up near a vessel trading to the United States, I would have said that a transfer could have been contemplated." said Mr Lindsey, "but I think it was intended for local consumption.” A spokesman for Russell
and Somers, the Van Cloon's New Zealand agents, said the seizure of opium was just a .ucky break "The customs would have almost to tear the ship apart," he said. "It's not hard to hide a little package. and the Chinese know the ship inside out and have plenty of placet to use. "The policy of the company is to dismiss a seaman found guilty of a narcotics charge.” he said.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CI, Issue 29859, 27 June 1962, Page 12
Word Count
245Claim About Drug Shipments Denied Press, Volume CI, Issue 29859, 27 June 1962, Page 12
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