CHINESE WITH OPIUM SURPRISED BY POLICE

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6869, 26 March 1929, Page 7

CHINESE WITH OPIUM SURPRISED BY POLICE

lor Press Association. GISBORNE, Last Night. On charges of being found in possession of opium and of smoking opium, a Chinese market gardener named Wong Dan, 45 years of age, was fined £2O on each charge, in default three months' imprisonment, by Mr Levvy at tbo Magistrate's Court today. Wong Chew, aged 40 years, pleaded not guilty to a charge of permitting his premises to be used for smoking opium. Evidence was given to the effect that tho building mentioned was a threeToomcd shack and the previous accused, who was living there, barricaded his door while smoking opium. Wong Chew’s counsel contended that no direct evidence had been given that Wong Chew knew opium was being smoked. Tho Magistrate said the Court was satisfied Wong Chew knew opium smoking was going on in his house. The maximum penalty was £2OO and tho minimum £SO, and he had no option but to impose tho minimum fine of £SO, but as the man smoking tho opium had been with accused for only a fortnight, and the practice was not carried on over a lengthy period, the Magistrate said ho would bo prepared to tgeoinmend an application for a reduction of tho fine to £lO.

The police stated that when they raided the premises, they detected a strong smell of opium, but before thoy gained admission, Wong Dan had thrown a pipe lamp and a small tin of opium through a -window. The police found in the building a letter addressed to tho owner of Wong Chew, containing a piece of brown paper which had been smeared with opium, this being the method adopted to send the drug through the post. The defendant had purchased the opium from a firmj in Wellington i