OPIUM DEN RAIDED

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 100, 22 January 1935, Page 3

OPIUM DEN RAIDED

Police Gain Entry by an Upper Window CHINESE BEFORE COURT After being refused admission at the front door, police raided a house in Haining Street through an upper window shortly after midnight on Sunday night’and arrested the occupants, who were charged in the Wellington Magistrate’s Court yesterday with offences concerned with opium smoking. Pleading guilty, Chung Fook Yum, aged 35. was fined £75, in default three months* imprisonment, on a charge of permitting premises to be used for opium smoking, and was fined £25 for being found in possession of prepared opium. Wai Leung, fruiterer, aged 40, who also pleaded guilty, was fined £25 for being in possession of prepared opium, and was fined £l2/10/- for being found without lawful excuse on premises used for opium smoking. Pleas of not guilty to charges of being found without lawful excuse on premises used for opium smoking were entered by Joe Ching, gardener, aged 28; Joe Shang, fruiterer, aged 25, and Ngan You, fruiterer, aged 37. each of whom was fined £l2/10/-. Senior-Sergeant D. J. O’Neill conducted the prosecution, and Mr. A. F. Hogg represented all the accused. About 12.30 a.m., said Senior-Ser-geant O’Neill, Sergeants Edwards. O’Donnell, and Black and three constables visited a two-story house at 4 Haining Street. Sergeant Black rang the bell, but no attempt was made to open the door. The house was heavily barricaded, and there was a strong smell of opium. Between No. 4 and the neighbouring liopse there was an exit platform connecting the two buildings, and from this the police managed to effect an entrance through a small window. Immediately they got inside, the police saw Leung with a tin of opium and a number of pipes, and a search revealed that the place had been used for opium smoking. Six slush lamps were burning, and 11 opium pipes were found, in addition to a considerable amount of paraphernalia. Both accused were found in the house, and Yum admitted that he was the keeper of the premises. Fifteen tins of opium were found in a desk upstairs. “There was apparently very extensive business going on in the premises.” said Senior-Sergeant O’Neill. Mr. Hogg said that Yum was in business in New Zealand two or three years ago. He went to China, and r.n his return found that his occupation had gone. The only business as far as he could see was in opium. The amount of paraphernalia found did not indicate the extent of the business, as Yum had had very few visitors during the past few months. Mr. Hogg said he had been informed that it was the practice in opium parlours to keep slush lamps burning whether there were customers or not, and at the time of the raid none of the pipes was warm. There were no Europeans in or about tbe premises. “It seems that the business was somewhat more extensive than usual.” observed the magistrate, Mr. W. F. Stilwell, S.M., in imposing the fines. Mr. Hogg submitted' that Ngan You wanted to see Leung, and on the way he met Shang and Ching. They went to the house, where they expected to find Lenng, and arrived only a short time before the raid. They knew it was an opium den, but they had gone for a legitimate reason and not to smoke. Evidence to this effect was given by the three accused. “I am satisfied that there is a degree of lying here that I cannot accept for one moment as an explanation,” said Mr. StilwelL “The story is far too far-fetched.”