TRAFFIC IN DRUGS

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 3478, 14 October 1926, Page 9

TRAFFIC IN DRUGS

CHINA’S ILLICIT TRADE. HEROIN IN TOMBSTONES. SHANGHAI. Aug. 14. According to an official return published by the Chinese Customs, 10,846 ounces of contraband drugs such as morphia, cocaine, and heroin, were seizpd by the authorities at the three m'ain seaports of Shanghai, Tientsin and Tsingtao during 1925. The main supply of morphia smuggled into | China comes from Germany, while , Japan deals largely in the cocaine 1 traffic. To the credit of Great Britain it is worthy of note that not one' ounce of British narcotic drugs Has ibeen seized by the customs since 1922. The profits from the business, like that of gun-running and the sale of arm s to Chinese, are enormous and' are estimated to be in the neighbourhood of 1000 per cent, profit, but at the same time, it is difficult, to imagine a more vile and sordid business. For some time past it has been well known to the 'authorities that there is a group of men in Shanghai, engaged in smuggling drugs into China in wholesale quantities. The syndicate engaged in this nefarious traffic is a powerful one, with huge, resources at its back, and so far, Has managed to evade the clutches of the law. Occasionally a sailor or a steward on one of the home-going boats is arrested with contiUband drugs in his possession, but, in every case, the arrested men have refused to divulge the names of their principals, who, have gone scot-free. By the arrest last month in Hamburg of a well-known Shanghai man. formerly established in this city as a merchant and “general importer,” it is felt that the authorities have, at, last, got hold of one of the leaders of the gang. The man in question, an American citizen, was personally

supervising the shipping of a consignment of tombstones destined for Shanghai. The gentleman appeared to be far too anxious over what, to all intents and purposes, were merely sJabs of marble and granite and the suspicions of the authorities were aroused. One of the tombstones was, accordingly examined and the result was that the tombstones were found to be hollow and packed with tins of heroin. The total “haul” amounted to 547 tins, each tin containing 250 grammes of the drug. The man was arrested and tried in the local Police Court at Hamburg. He was fined 2000 dollars and ordered to be deported, while the heroin was confiscated. The arrested man appeared to have plenty of money, and, according to a statement made by the police, had recently received 55,000 dollars from New York. Unfortunately the names of the consignees in Shanghai of the "tombstones” were not divulged.