DRUG TRAFFICKERS

Evening Star, Issue 19456, 14 January 1927, Page 7

DRUG TRAFFICKERS

BIG ORGANISATION EXPOfED HEADQUARTERS IH BERLIN INGENIOUS METHODS USED. Press Association— By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, January 12. The Berlin correspondent of the ‘Daily Nows’ states that after, six months’ search the police have unearthed the headquarters of international cocaine traffickers. The arch gangster is a, Russian doctor, Sirlorsni and the accomplices include analytical chemists. They have supplied world centres with cocame, heroin, opium, and other drugs. The extent of their operations may be judged by a telegram that armed cm the premises when the police were in possession ordering 2421 b for the United States. , , A woman accomplice employed by a forwarding firm secured parcels after they had passed the Customs’ esama?.tion, and substituted drugs for the contents so skilfully that the tampering was unsuspected. _ The bulk of the trade was done via Copenhagen. Sydney ‘ Sun ’ Cable.

TEN OP GANG ARRESTED. ENORMOUS PROFITS. BERLIN, January 13. The police have uprooted what is believed to be the general headquarters in Europe of a vast illicit traffic in cocaine, morphine, and other drugs, and a gang of ten, some ot whom are of Russian origin, have been arrested. The police have traced the export to Japan and China of enormous quantities of drugs manufactured in Germany. Expert chemists are believed to have co-operated. The drugs were so treated that they appeared in the guise of harmless articles, such as shaving soap, boot polish, and vaxnish. The traffic yielded enormous profits The usual price paid by Chinese purchasers is equal to £4 per ounce, of which the ongnal cost is onc-sisth or that sum. „ , ~ , . The drugs were at first shipped via London, but such large quantities were seized that the smugglers latterly despatched the goods through Copenhagen.