Marijuana Seed Found On Ship

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32381, 21 August 1970, Page 1

Marijuana Seed Found On Ship

(New Zealand Press Association) INVERCARGILL, August 20. Nearly four pounds of marijuana seed has been seized by customs officers on board the Japanese freighter Penang Maru at Bluff, and the search is continuing.

The find yesterday was the largest single amount of marijuana seed seized at one time at a New Zealand port.

cer at Bluff (Mr J. M. Curran) of 21b 15oz of seed in a brown paper bag in toe No. 1 locker room on toe port side of toe ship. A search of the Penang Maru today by eight customs officers, assisted by four policemen, found nearly another pound of toe seed—fib in a coffee jar in the No. 1 locker room and 2oz in an empty birdcage in toe engine room.

The search was intensified after the discovery yesterday by the senior preventative offi-

Mr Curran made his discovery in a routine search of toe Kobe-registered vessel which had arrived from Yokohama,

via Townsville, to unload equipment for Tiwai Point smelter at Bluff.

A sample of seed was taken from toe paper bag by Mr Curran, sent to Dunedin by police car for analysis by D.S.I.R. scientists.

An all-night watch was kept on toe ship after the seed was identified, and early this morning Mr Curran led his rummage squad on board for a thorough search of toe vesAn attempt by the Acting Collector of Customs in Invercargill (Mr K. G. Murray) to have toe Customs Department’s special Flying Squad flown in from Wellington early today was thwarted by heavy N-A.C. passenger bookings. Instead four officers from Dunedin were called in as well as Bluff police. A 17-year-old Japanese seaman was charged in toe Invercargill Magistrate’s Court this afternoon with possessing cannabis seed, and was remanded to next Thursday.