TONS OF ILLICIT DURGS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5128, 20 May 1927, Page 4

TONS OF ILLICIT DURGS.

FORTUNES FROM TRAFFIC.

REPORT TO LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

The drug traffic throughout the world is dealt with in a comprehensive report by a committee appointed to consider the matter by the League o£ Nations (says the “Observer”), The League Council has considered .the report and has adopted all the resolutions put forward. An illicit traffic, which can only be characterised as enormous, still exists, says the report. The outflow of opium from China in -large amounts embarrasses most seriously vai ious adjoining countries; drugs are smuggled into the Far East and elsewhere in huge quantities; the control in certain manufacturing and distributing countries, and even in certain countries, which are prijnaryily consuming countries, while steadily improving, is still, in fact, inadequate to prevent drugs from passing into the illicit traffic in very large quantities.

In India, it is pointed out, it appears probable fhat the illicit traffic in cocaine may amount to as much as forty times the legitimate imports. In the Far and Middle East large seizures have been made of drugs and of raw and prepared opium; in Europe enormpus quantities of drugs get into the hands of illicit traffickers. Large seizures have also been made in the United States of Ame-

rica. In spite of these incontestable facts the committee does not desiie to paint too black a. picture. Largely as a result of the committee’s work the real position, which had been imperfectly realised, is now being discovered ; the system of control is being steadily improved by some of the Governments ; the import and export certificate system (one of the main pivots of effective control) is being gradually more and more generally applied; specific cases are being closely followed up, not only to punish individual offenders, but also with the more important object of remedying defects in system or procedure. Nevertheless, the committee finds the present position disappointing apd most unsatisfactory.

The position in the free port of Copenhagen in particular has caused considerable anxiety to the committee for some years. There is evidence that this free port has been extensively used for the illicit despatch of drugs to extra-European countries, and that it has also been resorted to as a convenient transhipment centre. Recent cases show that the facilities which this free port accords have been taken advantage of for the purposes of the illicit traffic. The committee considers It desirable that the attention of the Government of Denmark should be drawn to the information in the possession of the committee. The Secretariat has been instructed to address the Government of Denmark on the subject. Illicit transactions reported to the League during the year 1926 over a period of just Under seven months include consignments of, raw opium of over 65 tons, over 3520 ounces of heroin, 10,195 ounces of morphine, and 625 ounces of cocaine. Seizures were made of 790 ounces of heroin, 350 ounces of cocaine, and 3300 ounces of opium. Among other recent seizures were fifteen barrels of morphine.

During the last few weeks the German police have discovered the existence of a band of international smugglers who have been carrying on a contraband traffic in many countries “to an almost unbelievable extent.” Orders for their drugs came for the most part from the Far East. The operations of the syndicate were conducted chiefly through the free port of Copenhagen. A later discovery by the same police will, the committee hopes, “cast considerable light upon the methods employed by the •contrabandists and upon their sources of supply,” but the report gives no details of this discovery. A report received by the committee from Hong-Kong related to the operations of a syndicate there engaged in the smuggling of Chinese opium. The amount of opium in one consignment varied from 80,000 to 220,000 taels (a tael is roughly one and one-third English ounces). The amounts remitted in these operations were over £40,000 a month. The syndicate was offered 13 chests of opium by the Swatow Anti-iOplum. Bureau if it chose to bid higher than £lB,OOO for them. The stock of opium on hand in Tungking was computed at from 1,200,000 to 1,300,000 taels.

The Chief of the’ Cairo Police reported : “The figures show that the Egyptians are rapidly becoming a race of drug addicts. ... In spite of the prosecution of 5600'in<iividuals during the year, the enormous profit to be made by selling cocaine and heroin continues to produce new traffickers, and on an average 60 arrests a week are made in Cairo.” Egypt produces no cocaine or heroin; the whole of the supplies must have been derived from illicit sources.

Large quantities of dangerous drugs have recently been exported under “fancy” names, which give no indication of their real nature. This is a new danger, which complicates materially the problem of effective control.

Sir Malcolm Delevingne, the British representative, asked the- committee to examine the question “as to what measures are taken, or can be taken, by the Governments of countries engaged in the manufacture or distribution of manufactured drugs, to keep a check on the disposal of the drugs, and to ensure that they are supplied only to authorised persons and do not get into the illicit traffic.” He said that there was little information about the source of the drugs. He urged strongly that special efforts must be made to obtain this information ; and he suggested an ad hoc inquiry in each manufacturing and distributing country to that end. The examination should commence with the manufacturer or the large importer ; and the inquiry should proceed step by step down the chain of transactions until the point of leakage was discovered.

He regarded it as extremely impoit--ant that licenses to purchase- drugs,

: manufacture drugs, or otherwise deal *■ in drugs on any considerable scale I should be accorded only to individuals ! tor firms of well-established reputaI and unquestionable bona tides.

Sir Malcolm Delevingne’s proposii tian was accepted, and a resolution i giving effect to this decision was •passed unanimously.