OPIUM SWINDLE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 5 January 1923, Page 2

OPIUM SWINDLE.

CHINESE "TRADERS" DUPED. A BOGUS DETECTIVE RAID. A particularly clever swindle has been perpetrated in the illicit market in opium and other sinister drugs in the Pennylields quarter of Limehouse, London. Since the Metropolitan Police have become more, alive to the methods of I opium dealers, the supply of opium in London's Chinatown has been on the down grade. _ There are, however, many addicted to this drug in London ' and round about who cannot live without it. and these poor wretches are prepared to pay any price for it. The principal victim of the swindle, a Chinese, who has long been under j police surveillance, but hitherto has j been careful enough, not to commit ! himself, is one of the few remaining ' large distributors of the druc. He has numerous emissaries, also from Cathay, who"run the drug, and also cocaine, up to the West End, and dispose of ■ it at gilt-edged prices, j About ten weeks ago this opium mandarin received a clandestine visit from a beautiful English girl, who lost no time in exercising her wiles on the .; Chinese. The news that she was mar- ' ried added greater zest to the Celestial's joy, and when she said her husband was an engineer in a Blue Funnel boat—owned by a famous line which trades with the Far East —her host's brain began to work quickly. I Eventually the Chinese asked her if she could persuade her husband to call on some Chinese at Hongkong and bring back a parcel of opium. The woman said she thought that, not only could she influence her husband to do so, but also her brother, another engineer in the same ship. But they are on their .way to China now, and if I wrote " i "Don't write,'' said the Chinese. "That's no good; wait till they come home and they can get some the next time. No hurry.'' I Later the girl went to the Chinese, who by now thought he had her in his clutches with the news that her husband's boat had reached Glasgow, and that he and her brother were coming to London by train. "You bring 'em see me, eh?'' asked the Celestial. The girl said she would. She kept her word. Two nights later two hefty-looking engineers were ushered by her into the presence of the Chinese, who, after a bottle of whisky had been emptied, made known his scheme. "Why," exclaimed the husband, "we brought 501b across with us and got it out of the ship in the false bottom of a trunk. We "are going to trade it to ■ ——'> (mentioning a prominent Chinese opium dealer in another part of Pennyfields). "Don't take it to him. Him a robber, You sell to me. I pay best prices," said the Chinese. "Yes, let him have it, J.ack,'' interposed the girl to her husband. "He's a sport.'? The engineers discussed the matter apart, and in the end told the Chinese that he could have the 501b of poppy juice at a price. The Chinese realised, that the price was high, but counted oh raising his retail price and realising a good profit. He also wanted to see a sample. Within an hour he had one; it was of the finest opium, and was enclosed in the usual red paper packet, which bore, in Chinese hieroglyphics, the approved brand mark. That was good ' enough for him, and he agreed to take delivery next night. ) The following evening the engineers accompanied by the girl, arrived with a leather kit bag, from which they produced a number of packets exactly similar in appearance to the sample. , The Celestial had hardly maid the men j when, with a shout of "Hoy moon" ("Open the door"), in dashed a posse of detectives, arrested everybody, and seized nearly everything in the house, j While some of the raiders removed the two engineers, the girl, and the : opium from the house, two remained j behind with the Chinese to search the premises in his presence. They col- ■ kcted everything of value, made a duplicate inventory, handed the Chi- ; nese a counterfoil, and at the same time prepared to remove him. I Like a good Chinese, he thought a bribe might work, and from an undiscovered store he took some money and offered it to his captors. Each looked at the other, and then one said to the Chinese, "We can give you five minutes in which to clear.'> The Chinese took the chance, and while/ he was hurrying as fast as he could into Essex the two "detectives" hustled to join their confederates, who were again arresting the engineers and the girl at another opium-dealer's. The coup in each case was complete, j except that at the second dealer's one of the packets of the drug brought j by the "engineers" was left behind. When this dealer returned from his long walk next day he found the packet and examined it. There was not a grain of opium in it; and its chief constituent seemed to be a very j ba«e kind of brown sugar. • I The two dealers continue very reIticent about the whole affair,' and would Ik? the last people in the world to welcome police inquiries.