SYDNEY OPIUM RING

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 October 1939, Page 12

SYDNEY OPIUM RING

< BIG AGENT CAUGHT. SYDNEY. October 11. Police claim to have suppressed the activities of the opium ring in Sydney bv the conviction of a Chinese, ’lang Huie. This was achieved by the hnd-j iug of one tin of opium, worth £7. in I the possession of 'rang Huie, at the Tientsin Cafe, of which he is manager. I He was fined the maximum of £4lffi. i The Drug Squad’s achievement became possible only with the co-opma-tion of a. man recommended by Amort-' can Eederal Bureau officers in Honolulu. This officer, a so-called (.-man. had to win the confidence ol the dim, ring, and lo do this lie travelled as a seaman on an American boat, invaiiaiily visiting the Tientsin Cale when his ship touched Sydney. The stage was set on October I. The mysterious seaman had arranged to purchase opium. The difficulty was to .secure evidence of the transaction. Ip to the door of the Tientsin < ale in a. sports car drove a big jovial fellow, obviously out for enjoyment. With him wtts .'lit attractive woman. Tiny climbed the stairs lo the cafe, and sc-i looted ;t table. The Chinese, waiter did

net guess that the man was Constable McDermott, and his friend. Mrs. Ilea.! of the Women Police. They watched | while the American seaman haggled witii Tang Huie for a tin of opium] and demanded to see the goods before | he paid. j Tang Huie left the room. Immediately the American signalled to Con-| stable McDermott, who joined him.! Mrs. Ilea went down the steps into the street, where Detective-Sergeants Gor-| don and Searle were waiting.- When these men arrived in the cafe McDer-J moll was standing guard over 'fang Huie. Huie shrugged his shoulders [and handed over a tin ol opium to GorI don. I Detective-Sergeant Gordon said tn evidence that the eale was the head(limrteis c.f the Australian drug ring. The Tienlsiii Cafe had been nmutiotfid in communications between the [ciiilcd Stales, lite Home Office. Louden. and the Commonwealth Goverttimnt. Huie had been concerned in the opium traffic in an indirect way with, his father, who had been convicted on three occasions fqr this offence.