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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10; 1974
NO LET UP IN 'WAR' AGAINST DRUG TRAFFICKERS
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DRUG RUNNERS WERE DEALT A FURTHER BIG BLOW LAST MONTH AS THE PREVENTIVE SERVICE KEPT UP ITS PRESSURE AGAINST THE ILLICIT TRADE.
DURING THE MONTH, PREVENTIVE SERVICE OFFICERS SEIZED MORE THAN 29 KILOGRAMS OF DANGEROUS DRUGS, INCLUDING HEROIN, MORPHINE, OPIUM, BARBITONE, HASHISH AND MARIJUANA WITH AN ESTIMATED RETAIL VALUE OF OVER $250,000.
A TOTAL OF 349 PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH VARIOUS NARCOTICS OFFENCES. ALTOGETHER 139 RAIDS WERE MADE ON SUSPECT PREMISES THROUGHOUT HONG KONG, KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES, WITH 128 OF THEM SUCCESSFUL. PARAPHERNALIA SEIZED INCLUDED 116 OPIUM AND FOUR HEROIN SMOKING PIPES.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MONTH INCLUDED THE ARREST OF TWO DRUG TRAFFICKERS AND THE SEIZURE OF 1-1/2 KGS. OF HEROIN IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, A RAID IN THE KOWLOON WALLED CITY BY 170 OFFICERS RESULTING IN 71 ARRESTS FOR NARCOTICS OFFENCES AND LARGE QUANTITIES OF HEROIN AND OPIUM SEIZED THE ARREST OF A THAI WOMAN AT
HONG KONG AIRPORT FOLLOWING HER ARRIVAL FROM BANGKOK WHEN A FALSE COMPARTMENT IN HER SUITCASE WAS FOUND TO CONTAIN 28 SMALL PIECES OF MORPHINE AND FOUR PACKETS OF MORPHINE POWDER- AND THE ARREST OF TWO MEN CAUGHT IN KOWLOON IN THE PROCESS OF TRAFFICKING IN TWO KGS. OF HASHISH.
MR. R.V.L. HATTON, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER OF THE PREVENTIVE SERVICE, SAID TODAY THESE CONTINUING SUCCESSES BY THE PREVENTIVE SERVICE AND THE POLICE HAD NOT ONLY LED TO AN UNPRECEDENTED SHORTAGE OF DANGEROUS DRUGS BUT HAD ALSO MADE IT VERY HARD FOR +PUSHERS+ TO SUPPLY THEIR CUSTOMERS.
DRUG TRAFFICKERS, HE SAID, WERE TAKING ELABORATE PRECAUTIONS TO ESCAPE DETECTION. SOME OF THE METHODS USED INCLUDE POSTING NUMEROUS GUARDS AND WATCHMEN AROUND THE RETAILING CENTRES- THE USE OF CODE WORDS BEFORE A SALE OF HEROIN IS MADE THE MAINTENANCE OF REGISTERS OF REGULAR CUSTOMERS AND EXTENSIVE PRECAUTIONS TO IDENTIFY AND BRING ADDICTS TO RETAIL CENTRES WHICH ARE CONSTANTLY MOVED TO DIFFERENT LOCATIONS.
BUT DESPITE ALL THESE PRECAUTIONS, PREVENTIVE SERVICE OFFICERS CONTINUE TO INFILTRATE, HARASS AND BREAK UP THE TRAFFICKING OPERATIONS, AND HAVE ALSO ACHIEVED SUCCESSES
IN APPREHENDING DRUG CARRIERS ATTEMPTING TO BRING DRUGS SUPPLIES INTO HONG KONG, HE SAID. +WHILST SYMPATHY MAY BE FELT FOR THE ADDICT,+ MR. HATTON ADDED, NO MERCY WHATSOEVER WILL BE SHOWN TO TRAFFICKERS.+
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