ILLICIT LIQUOR

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 87, 13 April 1944, Page 6

ILLICIT LIQUOR

PEEP INTO CUSTOMS BOND O.C. SYDNEY, March 28.

.-• A peep into the King's Bond at Circular Quay, Sydney, reveals the extent of the liquor black market in New South Wales. A section of the bond is packed with thousands of bottles of liquor seized by Customs officers during recent raids on city and country hotels. Included in the confiscated stocks are 5000 bottles of whisky, 1200 bottles of wine, and thousands of bottles or beer, rum, brandy, gin, advocat, and liqueurs. Labels on the bottles mean nothing. Selecting a- bottle from a case branded with the name of a Scottish whisky, a' Customs' officer said: "The contents of that case nevec saw Scotland. The stuff would blow your hat off."" Near ihe case was an illicit still, together with grain, sugar, and other ingredients used in the manufacture of f'moonshine." Large quantities of liquor seized during black market raids were not taken to bond. They were poured into a drain. A section of the bond is stacked with smuggled goods seized by Customs officers. These goods include a sedan car, found to be filled with contraband tea, cases of silk stockings, radio sets, cosmetics, false teeth (found in a hotel raided for liquor), olive oil, cameras, .cut glass, tinned fish, and thousands of prohibited , magazines. Several huge cases are filled with seized Japanese goods and papers. ' Liquor seized by the civil police in raids on sly-grog shops is taken to State Government stores immediately itsrcorifiscation. is ordered by a magistrate, and • later sent to hospitals for medicinal purposes.