SMUGGLED OPIUM

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10956, 19 July 1921, Page 5

SMUGGLED OPIUM

ON S.S. MOERAKI HEAVY FINE INFLICTED ON A GREASER. THE MYSTERIOUS FIREMAN. A Dane named Jens Sorensen appeared before Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M., yesterday afternoon to answer a clfarge of hairing opium in his possession, and of importing opium in a form suitable for smoking, on July I4th last. The Crown Prosecutor (Mr P. S. R. Macassey) conducted the case for the police, and Mr W. E. Leicester appeared for the accused. Austin Henry Boland, searcher in the Customs Department, said he had known accused by sight since April 18th: He also knew a man Finderup, who was fined some time ago for having opiutm m his possession. Immediately on the arrival of the Moeraki on July 14th witness said he had boarded her and gone to the quarters of accused. Asked to produce all illicit articles accused had hurriedly produced all could find and had left the cabin. He had been watching the accused for the last three trips of the Moeraki. There were eight tins of opium in the pocket of a coat hanging behind the door of the cabin, and accused was asked if the coat was his, but had denied ownership of it. The coat was placed on him and fitted, him well. 'There were two greasers who shared the quarters of Sorensen, and they had tried on the coat, but it would fit neither of them, as they were big men. Witness was sure that he had seen Sorensen wearing the coat on a previous trip of the Moeraki. The selling price of a tin of opium to a, ! Chinaman was £25. ■' The only othey suit of clothe® found in the possession of Sorensen was a new blue one. Charles Bacon, searcher in the Customs Department, gave corroborative evidence. When they had hoarded the ship they had gone straight to Sorensen’s quarters, and he had had to he called from a bathroom. Detective Tricklebank said that he had arrested the ■ accused. When charged accused had said nothing, and witness had had him under observation since. On May 31st he had seen the accused wearing a coat similar to the one produced in court.’ LEFT BY' A FIREMAN. For the defence Mr Leicester submitted that three men occupied a cabin next a. galley. The door was fastened back by a bolt, and the coat, when ■hanging behind, the door, was invisible. Itf had been left there by a fireman some months ago, and although it fitted: the accused in a fair manner, no inference could be drawn from that fact. There waa no evidence before the court that Sorensen had been in comnnumication with Finderup, who had been fined for “opium-running.” Accused was ' said to be “suspected” by the Customs Department; but it was the duty of that department to suspect every man who came into Hie country. 'Ho contended that the onus was on .the prosecution to show that the coat belonged to the accused, and that they had failed to do so.

- . ACCUSED IN THE BOX. Accused in the box said that he had met Finderup in Dunedin in 1915. The coat had been hanging behind the door for four or five months, and belonged to a man named Mick Wall. He had never worn the coat pr had one similar to it.

Cross-examined, accused denied that he had asked Brown, the third-class steward, to change £2OO in New Zealand notes; but admitted thdt \Brown had changed, a £lO note and a £2O note on different occasions. Two fiieraen had handed him the money to change. Mr Macassey pointed out that the coat had been used recently, as there was a strong smell of oil about it; but accused could give n<j explanation of this. EVIDENCE IN SUPPORT. James Burns, a greaser on the Moeraki, said that he had known the accused for about 18 months. Ho had never seen accused wearing the coat. It would be just as likely to becoihe oily if it belonged to a fireman as a greaser. Ho shared f the cabin with Sorensen.

Cross-examined, witness said ho had been on the Moeraki for four months. He could not say how long the coat had been in the “room. The coat was saturated with kerosene. He had yielded up some cigars to the Customs this voyage, pu demand; hut denied that be had concealed them. This concluded the case for the defence.

“I’m going to convict him,” said Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M.. “The Customs officers went on board this vessel and went straight to this man’s eabin. They found opium in the coat behind the door, and accused says he knows nothing of it. His only excuse was that the coat belonged to someone else. I have heard that., before.” The object •of the Act was not to secure revenue, but to afford protection. Accused was liable tof a fine of £SOO or 12 months imprisonment. In this case he would inflict' a fine of £250, in default six months’ hard labour.

Security of appeal was fixed at the amount of the fine plus £lO 10s. The oprum is to be confiscated.