TNAG-0820-FCO40-1027-Narcotics-problem-in-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 364

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Politiken (Copenhagen) 27.12.77

COPENHAGEN TAKES OVER AMSTERDAM'S ROLE AS

EUROPEAN NARCOTICS CENTRE

One of the world's foremost experts in the police investigation into the narcotics trade, Peter LAW, is of the opinion that Copenhagen is on the way to becoming the narcotics centre for Europe. The number of fish that have been caught in the net of the Danish Narcotics Police would seem to confirm this.

Heroin, in fact all narcotics, travel by an almost untraceable route, and this route changes all the time because of political situations, and the effectiveness of the police and customs authorities of the countries affected. It is such things that have moved the traffic from Amsterdam to Copenhagen. Whether Copenhagen or London will take over the role will be decided by the effectiveness of the fight against narcotics in the respective countries.

Since the change of regime in Vietnam the tradi- tional route from the Golden Triangle via Saigon and Hongkong has been changed to a direct route to Bangkok, where the substance is re-routed all over the western world. A great deal of the white "snow." as heroin is also called, spills like an avalanche over Europe by ship and plane, and a not inconsiderable portion comes via Kastrup (Copenhagen) airport. The fact that the American narcotics police have quietly stationed two of their experts at the Embassy in Copenhagen with diplomatic status underlines also that the market is expected to move.

Bangkok has taken over most of the laboratory work from Hongkong, where the police under Peter LAW amongst others, became too inquisitive.

According to Thailand narcotics experts, more than a quarter of the stuff is moved by official transport means. A great deal is sent from Thailand to USA and Europe by ship from the Bay of Siam, some is transported to Kuala Lumpur in neighbouring Malaysa, to Singapore or Hongkong, where it is divided up. However as a result of the new Law prescribing the death sentence for possession of even as little heroin as 15 gram, and the fact that people are constantly being sent to the gallows, even people suffering from sever addiction, most of it is now sent by plane direct from Bangkok to Europe.

Up to now most of it has gone by plane to New York or Amsterdam. Now London or Copenhagen want to take over, says Peter LAW, who is specially appointed by the narcotics police to the British Embassy in Bangkok. Because of his previous work wit the narcotics police in Hongkong he is probably the expect who has the greatest

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