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ONGKONG FOCUS
HONG KONG
STANDARD
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Drug syndicates hit badly by
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Thai crackdown R
PRICES SOAR AS SUPPLIES DROP
THE Bangkok government's crackdown on heroin traffickers
who smuggle the drug out of Thailand and into the Colony has drastically cut down the heroin flow into Hongkong.
As a result of the syndicates have raised the price of heroin and last week it was fetching twice as much as it usually does, the Chief Superintendent of the Narcotics Bureau, Mr H. J. Rumbelow, told the Standard yesterday.
Many of Hongkong's heroin dens have been forced to close down and most of the others who are still carrying on have had their profits reduced drastically,
Supt. Rumbelow said that most heroin syndicates
those which process crude imported heroin as well as those that run smoking dens in the New Territories, Kuntong and Western have already closed down. "In Western, they were closed on Friday, reopened on Saturday for a few hours and closed again until now. The situation in Youmati and Mongkok is more or less the
same.
14
Supt. Rumbelow said that the price last week for a pound of crude morphine was $8,000. In May it was $1,400 a pound. An ounce of No. 3 heroin now costs $5,800 and a packet of it is $10. This is twice what it cost last week."
The anti-narcotics chief also predicted that the notorious Mashan syndicates would be out of business in a few day's time it no more crude morphine is smuggled into Hongkong.
No major shipment of drugs has come into Hongkong in the last two months, Supt. Rumbelow said. Only two big shipments of drugs from Thailand have been reported since May.
now
"Drug traffickers in Hongkong are depending on crude morphine smuggled in by people who come as tourists and businessmen. Usually supplies are brought in by Thai trawlers. Once these boats arrive in Hongkong waters they transfer the drugs to local fishing boats.
Supt. Rumbelow said it takes only 30 lb of crude morphine, to prepare enough No. 3 heroin for all the addicts in Hongkong for a day.
"The cut in supply of drugs is due to the increasing effort of Thai anti-narcotics enforcement officers to prevent trawlers from shipping drugs out to Hongkong.
He said the change of attitude by Thai Authorities started early in June when they
t
by
William Cheung
arrested the drug king to Hsin-han. The recent political changes in the country aho helped, Supt. Rumbelow said,
He said that about 95 187 cent of crude opium supglund into Hongkong came !! Thailand.
Supt. Rumbelow said efforts to keep down the drug syndicates bere would depend ол the continuing determination of the Thai Government
anti-marcotics effort.
"We're conccrned with the Thais' attiinde and what alternative methods trafficheas may come up with to improve their supply lines.
However, Hongkong's drug traffickers still have enough raw opium to supply the
estimated Colony's
50.000 *opium and hity who mak
half of the total drug addicts for two months.
said
But Supt. Rumbelow that about haif the opium divans are operating for only one or two hours a day. This is to avoid detection.
“Lorgs number of oplam addicts are taking oplum pills now so that they don't have to go to the livans and about 15 per cent of them have tumed. to heroin".
Supt Rumbelow said that his bureau would have 200 men by the end of the year and that by then they world be able to tackle the deng problem much more vigorously.
But he Was 31 little disappointed with the newly introduced narcotics "hot line.** Only about 100 people rang up.
"Not many of the calls give us information on activities of drug traffickers. I hope we can get more support from the public to provide information on heroin factories. For example, the one which wo cracked last month in Kuntong had been in operation for months. I'm sure that people living nearby must have known of it but still no one gave us a call.
in
Meanwhile, police smashed two opium divans one in Mashan and the other Kowloon Walled
City yesterday.
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