TRAFFIC IN DRUGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19916, 9 April 1928, Page 9

TRAFFIC IN DRUGS.

GREAT FRENCH TRIAL. SEVENTY-FIVE ACCUSED. PARIS, March 25. After four years of preparation, the trial has at. last been opened of 75 persons, including fashionable women, actresses, artists, 18 doctors arid five chemists, for illicitly trafficking in drugs, particularly cocaine. Originally 112 persons were arrested, bat 15 have since died &nd others have been released for various reasons. The Courli could only accommodate 50 of the accused and the remainder will come up for trial later. Among the accused is> uu 86-year-old doctor. Only 28 of the accused are charged with taking drugs. The others are charged with trafficking in them. '■ The usual procedure waa to obtain a genuine doctor's certifi-. cate for a fictitious malady. In soma cases, the doctor had not .seen the patient for two yeax-s, but he gave the orders whenever he was asked. In other instances, prescriptions wero forged, and even chemists' diplomas were forged. Experts examined 13,000 documents laboriously in order to separate foigeries from genuine documents. -This necea sitated foreign inquiries. The case is expected to last several weeJcs, but i e authorities hope that, before it concludes, they will track clown the scandal to its source. It is believed that the drug gang has its headquarters in Mont mart re. Fourteen leading y counsel • have bee*