TNAG-0505-FCO40-570-Review-of-narcotics-problem-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 36

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300 heroin pills. The manufacturing process had apparently been completed some time before the raid was executed and no arrest was made. The total seizure comprised 16.801 kilogrammes of a mixture containing 4.259 kilogrammes of morphine hydrochloride, 4.6012 kilogrammes of a mixture containing 2.6631 kilogrammes of salts of esters of morphine, 180 grammes of pills containing 0.3 grammes of salts of esters of morphine and 173.5 grammes of esters of morphine.

(HH/MRB/6738/74)

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21. On the night of 6th June, 1974, officers of the Narcotics Bureau carried out a series of raids in the New Territories. In a stone-crushing plant in Castle Peak a heroin refinery was discovered. search of the premises was made during the night and a small quantity of heroin and manufacturing equipment was found. The search was continued the following day with the assistance of a police dog trained to locate morphine. This resulted in the discovery of the main heroin refinery concealed in an underground chamber entry to which was gained by a twenty foot long tunnel running from a goose pen at the rear of the premises. A search of the chamber was made and a large quantity of chemicals and manufacturing paraphernalia was found, together with quantities of heroin and morphine. Two men, Lau Cheung-hing (0491/7022/5281), 31 years and Liu Tak-wai (1675/1795/1218), 25 years, found in the premises were arrested. The total seizure in the factory comprised 2.5816 kilogrammes of a mixture containing 1.0213 kilogrammes of salts of esters of morphine, 5.1412 kilogrammes of a mixture containing 3.0306 kilogrammes of esters of morphine, 489.9 grammes of a mixture containing 263 grammes of a salt of morphine, 760 millilitres of a solution containing 26.5 grammes of salts of esters of morphine and 1435 millilitres of a solution containing 17.2 grammes of a salt of morphine.

During the operation which led to the discovery of the heroin refinery above, a car driven by a man, CHAN Chong-king (7115/0482/8774), 24 years, was stopped and searched by officers of the Narcotics Bureau. A very large quantity of No. 3 heroin was found in the boot of the car and CHAN was arrested. The total weight of the drugs was 45.83 kilogrammes of a mixture containing 18.82 kilogrammes of salts of esters of morphine.

Government Chemist analysis of both seizures produced some very interesting results. The seizure from the car had been packed in cardboard boxes which were identical to a number seized in the refinery. The boxes had been wrapped and sealed by instruments that were discovered in the refinery.

LAU, LIU and CHAN were thus jointly charged with Manufacturing a Dangerous Drug. Lau and Liu were additionally charged with Possession of Dangerous Drugs for the Purpose of Unlawful Trafficking in respect of the drugs found within the refinery, while CHAN was additionally charged with Possession of Dangerous Drugs for the Purpose of Unlawful Trafficking in respect of the drugs found in the car. The case is still pending.

(CP/CCB/80-1/74)

22. On 15th June, 1974, a party of C.I.D. Officers raided a residential flat in Yuen Long, New Territories. The premises were unoccupied and after a search a large quantity of unfamiliar manu- facturing equipment and chemicals were found. The equipment had been packed into boxes and it appeared that the premises had been unoccupied for at least a week. The Government Chemist examined the equipment and chemicals and was of the opinion that they had been used in an attempt to produce acetic anhydride, an essential ingredient in the manufacture of heroin. The method used consisted of pyrolysing acetone vapour using a heating element to produce a compound known as ketene.

A condenser was then used to separate any unpyrolysed acetone, whilst allowing the gaseous ketene to be passed into acetic acid with which it reacts to form acetic anhydride. The chemicals seized in the premises included sodium acetate, acetone and acetic acid.

An interesting feature of the raid was the discovery of a number of acetyl chloride labels in a dustbin. Acetyl chloride can be reacted with sodium acetate to produce acetic anhydride, but acetyl chloride itself can be used for the conversion of morphine into heroin and in fact is far superior than acetic anhydride as an acetylating agent. There are however handling problems with acetyl chloride because of its volatile nature, therefore we can only presume that the heroin chemists will continue to use acetic anhydride.

(YL/MRB/X5198/74)

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