POSSESSION OF OPIUM

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 110, 7 February 1928, Page 6

POSSESSION OF OPIUM

CHINAMAN BEFORE COURT £5O FINE INFLICTED Palmerston North, February 6 That he was found in possession of opium in a form suitable for smoking was a charge preferred against Lye Gee Long, a Chinese tobacconist, of Main Street, Palmerston North, in the Magistrate’s Court this morning, a charge to which accused, through his counsel, Mr. Rutherford, pleaded guilty. In outlining the case for the Police, Senior-Detective Quirke said that on February 2 accused’s premises had been searched, with the result that 2| lbs. of opium had been brought to light. Accused had been convicted twice before for having permitted opium smoking on his premises. For the defence, Mr. Rutherford stated that accused, who was an old man of 65 years of age, was an opium addict, and had been smoking the drug too long now ever to hope for a cure. Lately he had been in very poor health. The opium that had been discovered had not belonged to accused, but to friends of his, for whom he was acting as a thread in the great web the Chinese in New Zealand had organised in order that they might deliver opium to whoever required it. “The Chinese do not look at it in the same way as do we, your Worship,” concluded counsel.

The Magistrate: “No, possibly not, but opium is getting around New Zealand, and we want to put a stop to it.” Proceeding, the Magistrate stated that the fact that opium had been discovered on accused’s premises showed that he had allowed himself to be a part of the web of organisation mentioned by Mr. Rutherford. He would take into consideration that accused was an old man, however, and that he had been in poor health. A fine of £5O would be inflicted.