XN000022-1975-01-15 — Page 2

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1975

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR FOR PREVENTIVE SERVICE

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THE PREVENTIVE SERVICE CONTINUED TO ACHIEVE A NOTABLE DEGREE OF SUCCESS IN 1974 IN ITS CONTINUING FIGHT AGAINST NARCOTICS, SMUGGLING, ADULTERATED LIQUORS AND COPYRIGHT PIRACY.

AND ACCORDING TO MR. ROYSTON HATTON, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER OF THE PREVENTIVE SERVICE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE PAST TWO DECADES OR SO, THERE ARE GROUNDS FOR CAREFUL OPTIMISM IN OUR BATTLE AGAINST DRUG TRAFFICKERS.+

THIS, HE SAID, WAS MAINLY DUE TO CLOSER CO-OPERATION BETWEEN VARIOUS DRUG FIGHTING AGENCIES 'IN HONG KONG AND THE ESTABLISHMENT

BETTER LINKS WITH ANTI-NARCOTIC ORGANISATIONS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD.

+WORKING TOWARDS THIS GOAL, THE PREVENTIVE SERVICE HAS DEVELOPED CLOSE TIES WITH CUSTOM AGENCIES IN THE UNITED STATES, BRITAIN AND OTHER COUNTRIES WITH THE AIM OF PINNING DOWN INTERNATIONAL DRUG PUSHERS,+ HE SAID.

THE SERVICE'S BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENTS LAST YEAR WERE IN ITS DRUG FIGHTING OPERATIONS.

DURING THE YEAR, PREVENTIVE SERVICE OFFICERS ARRESTED A RECORD NUMBER OF 4,148 DRUG SUSPECTS – A 12.5 PER CENT INCREASE OVER THE 1973 FIGURE AND SEIZED MORE THAN $3.6 MILLION WORTH OF DRUGS IN 1,400 RAIDS. THESE INCLUDED 191 KG OF OPIUM, 23.9 KG OF HEROIN, 8.5 KG OF MORPHINE, 13.2 KG OF BARBITONE AND SIX KG OF HASHISH AND MARIJUANA.

A LARGE QUANTITY OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA AND 2,020 LITRES OF ACETIC ANHYDRIDE - AN ESSENTIAL CHEMICAL USED IN COVERTING CRUDE MORPHINE TO HEROIN - WERE ALSO SEIZED.

THE HAUL OF ACETIC ANHYDRIDE WAS THE LARGEST EVER MADE BY THE PREVENTIVE SERVICE. IF IT HAD REACHED ILLEGAL DRUG MANUFACTURERS, IT COULD HAVE BEEN USED TO PRODUCE SOME 2,000 KG OF HEROIN.

OTHER MAJOR SUCCESSES AGAINST THE NARCOTICS TRADE INCLUDED :-

* A CRACK-DOWN ON A DRUG PACKING CENTRE IN SHEUNG SHUI

RESULTING IN A $1 MILLION DRUG SEIZURE AND THE ARREST

OF A DRUG PUSHER, YEUNG YIN-HING, WHO EVENTUALLY ESCAPED TO TAIWAN

* A $420,000 MORPHINE HAUL FROM A THAI WOMAN AT THE

AIRPORT-

* A MASSIVE RAID ON DRUG PEDDLERS AND ADDICTS AT THE

KOWLOON WALLED CITY-

* AND A MAJOR DRIVE TO CLEAR UP DRUG DIVANS IN THE

NOTORIOUS MA SHAN AREA.

/IN THE