BIG DRUGS SEIZURE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21196, 29 November 1930, Page 27

BIG DRUGS SEIZURE.

OVER £300,000 WORTH. TWELVE NATIONS IN CHASE. The fact that the seizure of- more than 2001 b of heroin at Rotterdam—which is hoped will lead to the bteaking-up of a gigantic organisation of drug smugglers—due to a smart piece of detective work on the 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 the receipt of the message the League officials had got into touch with 12 Governments, who were requested to keep a sharp look-out for a ship named the Cavalla, which had cleared Constantinople for a.European port. All along the Mediterranean the hue and cry • was taken up, and eventually the Cavalla was located just as she had left Oran, North Africa. From here onward _ she was shadowed across the Bay of Biscay and uu the coast until docked at Rotterdam. It_ is stated that the total amount of heroin seized was more, than 2001 b, which woujd be sufficient for the legitimate 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 £300,000. At a meeting of the Opium Commission it was stated that although mere 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 very part of the world, and mention was made of the despatch in a single vessel of no less than 250,0001 b of opium, of which al] 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.