BIG DRUGS SEIZURE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20716, 8 November 1930, Page 2 (Supplement)

BIG DRUGS SEIZURE.

OVER £300,000 WORTH. TWELVE NATIONS IN CHASE. TRACKING OF A VESSEL. Tho fact that tlio seizure of more than 2001b. of heroin at Rotterdam —which is hoped will lead to tho breaking-tip of a gigantic organisation of drug smugglers—due to a smart piece of detective work on tho part of officials of the Opium Section of the League of Nations, is revealed by the Geneva correspondent of the Daily Mail. ! The news that a large quantity of heroin was being shipped to Europe was given in an anonymous letter to the League, written in an illiterate hand and bearing the Constantinople postmark. Within two hours of tho receipt of the message the League officials had got into touch with twelve Governments, who were requested to keep a sharp look-out for a ship named the Cavalla, which had cleared at Constantinople for a European port. All along the Mediterranean the hue and cry was taken up, and eventually tho Cavalla was located just as she had left Oran, North Africa. From hero onward she was shadowed across the Bay of Biscay and up the coast until she docked at Rotterdam. It is stated that the total amount of heroin seized was more than 2001b., which would be sufficient for the legiti-

mate medical needs of a country like Switzerland for 50 years. According to the price at which the drug is sold in Egypt, the value of the consignment was considerably over £500,000. At a meeting of the Opium Commission it was stated that although more States have ratified the Geneva Drug Convention than any other convention sponsored by the League, the greatest difficulty is being experienced in getting it put into force, especially in the Far East and in South America. A report submitted says that the drug traffic now extends to every part of the world, and mention was made of the despatch in a single vessel of no less than 250,0001b. of opium, of which all trace was lost. The measures proposed for stamping out the evil, include the limitation of world production and control of distribution. The report says that the League must prepare for a vigorous campaign because there is a powerful and extensive network of criminal organisations working to frustrate its efforts.

Hefty Miss (gushingly): "Oh, thank you for such a nice dance." Weedy Acquaintance: " Dance?— Dance? I was trying to get to the buffet I" —London Opinion.