CACHE OF COCAINE FOUND

Chronicle (Levin), 15 May 1947, Page 5

CACHE OF COCAINE FOUND

AUCKLAND, May 14, Searehing Customs officer-s and defcectives foiwd nemly a doze.n jars of poivdered coeaine concqaled in tlie United States War Shipping Admindgtration's 10,422-tpn tankei' 'Fort Moult.rie vvlien they boarded the ship as she entered Auckland harbour from Wel-J lingtou about 9 o'clock this pio.rning/ Three Custouis offieers'and two deteetives niade the seavch and one of tlie' Customs offieers discovered -a secret cache, Although the coeaine discovered in the sliip has a clinical value of only about £20 to £30, through irregular channels it^is worth many thousands of; dollars to drug pedlars playing on tlie v.ravings of acldiets in Amei'ica, Europe. and the East. Known in under ground drug riqg as "snow", coeaine consists •if white shinv flakes. It is believed, t'he cocame was tgken ,on haard the Fort Moultrie shortly before she left, 'Wellington 0:U Monday evening and, ;hat it was to be placed .ashore at Aucklaud. The tanker, which is dis--harging diespf oil at Auckland, is ex-, ipected to sail tpinpruow for the Borsian Gulf. As ther.e is .believed .to bp no ,-eady profltable market in Auckland for illicit drugs, it is spspected -the 'coeaine was to he transferred to another sliipi