POLICE RAID IN SYDNEY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17229, 8 April 1930, Page 7

POLICE RAID IN SYDNEY

FAN-TAN AND OPIUM 41 CHINESE ARRESTED SYDNEY, March 25. Elaborately furnished and fitted up for gambling and opium smoking, two small Chinese shacks, situated over a mile off the main Bunnerong road, Botany, provided a surprise for a raiding party of police -to Saturday night. They later described the place as “a Chinese Monte Carlo.”

Forty-one Chinese were arrested and charged at the Eedfern police station with having been found in a common gaming-house. Four were, in addition, charged with having smoked opium.

Inspector Duffell, Sergeant Hungerford, and Constables Roadley, Roach, Jardine,. and Swan made up the raiding party. To reach the place unobserved they had to force their Way hrough tangled scrub, and finally crawl through the vegetable gardens. As soon as the police burst in the door of the first shack there was’ a wild rush to escape but every person '(resent was captured. The room had ippareutly been fitted up expressly for :-e by l’an-tan players and opium ;mokers. Elaborate arrangements had been made for the comfort of the play■>rs, and around the walls wore fitted ■ouches, with shaded lamps, for the <piu:n smokers. So quickly had .the raid been carried out, that the occupants of the second house, which was only a short distance away had not been disturbed. The police' alleged .that they found Em-tan being played and opium being smoked in this hut also. Two police vans were required to take the arrested Chinese to the Redfern station. The opium pipes, packages of opium, fan-tan equipment, and a number of pnkapu tickets were taken to the police station for evidence.