TRAFFIC IN DRUGS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17234, 14 April 1930, Page 10

TRAFFIC IN DRUGS

1 A WORtb-WiDE EVIL GENEVA COMMITTEE REPORT i I GENEVA, Feb. 22. I . r i 'he League Advisory Committee on ' Traffic in Opium and oilier narcotic .ding-, concluded its session on Friday ' with the adoption of its annual report, to the Council of the. League. I Tviany of the points continued in the report have been mentioned in previous dispatcher The peculiar position oi the Central laud South American States with regard to the drug traffic is pointed out-. These Stales are described as having made but blow progress in the- ratification and enforcement, of the International Opium Conventions, and as backward in sending in annual reports on the general state of. the traffic. Only 25 such reports have been received: in the last seven years out of a possible total of 140. The report says there are still important sources of supply and centres of illicit drug distribution .which have- not yet leen traced. The. illicit tr'afßc.extends to almost every part of the world. "Egypt is being flooded with drugs to such a degree that the number

of, addicts is estimated by I lie Egyptian "Uovorhment as reaching a total of 600,C00 out of 14)000,000. Cocaine is streaming into India, Malaya, and other regions in largo quantities from centres of distribution which am at present only partially known. Drugs and opium arc being smuggled, also in large quantities. into the United Statics and Cunada.< Large seizures of opium -have continued to tie made in tho Far East, and ji. mysterious brand of prepamd opium bearing tho false, label of ‘‘Lamkeehep Makao" has been found in Canada, Australia, the. United States, and tho Netherlands East, Indies.” SMDUUUNU FROM THE FAE EAKT. Some idea of the smuggling *of cocaine into India, and Malaya iron) the Far Fast, is also provided by the statement': “The total number of seizures reported to the committee durihg the period itnrler!it’eviow in Italy, Burma, Malaya, and Hongkong: was 33, and the total amount, of cocaine seized was approximately fJ6Booz. ffotpe evidence the committee pointed to the existence of a centro of this traffic in a district in Southern China.” Th® roport. states that over 2000 cases of Persian, opium wore shipped during the year from the Persian Uulf.-. They woro declared for Vladivostok, but there is evidonce that makes it certain they were smuggled into China.

The Mimes of a number of persons and mid-European firms known fo have been engaged until recently in the illicit drug traffic are mentioned. The report recommends the establishment <• a black list of persons organising ■ carrying on illicit trade in narcotic drugs. It also recommends a wider adoption of the. proved system of marking with serial numbers drugs issued by manufacturers, and hopes that other Governments may conclude treaties similar to the treaty between the United States and Canada in respect of offenders against (ho narcotic drug laws. The committee’s plan for the dir _ limitation of the manufacture of narcotic drugs appears as an annex to the report.