OPIUM DEN RAIDED

Taranaki Daily News, 8 October 1929, Page 3

OPIUM DEN RAIDED

DOORS SMASHED WITH AXES. - Auckland, Oct. 3. So heavily barred were a number of doors in a Chinese house at 54 Grey Avenue last night that a party of raiding detectives, in order to gain admission, used axes to chop their way into the ’interior of the premises,'where it is alleged opium was being smoked. At 8.45 p.m. Detectives Nalder. Packman, McWhirter, and Stephenson arrived outside the house, which was found securely barricaded. Five of the doors had three iron bars fixed on the inside and in addition barbed wire and lengths of 4 x 2 were used to make entrance impossible. However, the way was soon cut through, seven Chinese being. found in one room where lamps were found burning. Three Chinese who endeavoured to escape by the front door ran into the arms of two detectives, who arrested them. After a scuffle seven Chinese were arrested. They appeared in the Magistrate’s Court‘this morning on charges of being unlawfully found in possession of prepared opium. Ah Chin was charged with being the occupier of the premises and that he permitted them to be used for opium smoking. All the accused were remanded until October 8.