CHINESE AND OPIUM

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 52, 25 November 1926, Page 10

CHINESE AND OPIUM

RAID IN RAINING STREET

A raid conducted by three plainclothes constables on Tuesday evening resulted in two Chinese residents of" Haining Street being charged in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday with having prohibited goods—opium suitable for smoking—in their possession. The two accused, who pleaded guilty, were Chung Young Get,, alias Chung Yeum Get', alias Get Chin Yum, a gardener, aged 39, and Ah Joe, a labourer, aged 37. Air. E Page, S.M., was on tile bench. The Collector of Customs (Mr. E. T. W. McLaurin) said ' a small quantity cf opium had been found on Get’s premises, while there was evidence that accused had been smoking the drug. The same facts applied to Ah Joe, although nothing was known against him in the past. Get, however, bad been twice convicted of a similar offence in 1922, and was then fined £25 and £3O respectively. Mr. S. 1011, who appeared for both accused, said Ah Joe was in indifferent health, and had taken a small quantity of opium for medicinal purposes. ’ The smoking of opium was not a habit with accused, while the quantity found was so small as to be of no marketable value. Ah Joe was a poor man. Get had borne a good character since 1922. There was a small quantity in the possession of Get, but there was no suggestion that he intended to use ( it, except for his own use. Ah Joe was fined £l5, in default a month’s imprisonment, and Get £3O, in default two months’ imprisonment. Mr. Joll: Could the accused have time in which to pav the fines? Mr. McLaurin: Both men are of the master class. One of them had the place barricaded so that no one could get in. , . , A week was allowed in which to find the uionev.