DRUG RING EXPOSED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17609, 27 October 1931, Page 7

DRUG RING EXPOSED

HUGE HEROIN SHIPMENTS HOME OFFICE ACTING LONDON, Sept. 17. Investigations made by the British Home Office have led to the curtailment of tho activities of a wealthy international gang of drug traffickers An agent of the gang was traced to London, and the boarding-house where ho was staying was searched. Tt was discovered that the Japanese, gang for whom he was acting was engaged in illicit activities in four countries—France, Germany, Turkey, and Japan. In at least two of the countries— Germany and Japan—the authorities wore able to put a stop to the gang’s operations. As an example of the enormous demand for drugs for illicit traffic, another discovery made in London is illuminating. London firms received an inquiry from Japan for shipment to Shanghai of no fewer than 1400 kilogrammes of heroin—--310011)., or nearly 30c\vt. These facts are mentioned in the annual report on dangerous drugs made by tho British Government to the League of Nations. It is stated that drug addiction is not prevalent in Great Britain. There were no seizures of importance of drugs in Britain during the year 1930, nor was there any indication of illicittraffic on more than a very small scale in the country.