This Document Is Communicated to Governments for Nfidential Information in View of the Fact That It Has Not T Been Considered by the Advisory Committee on Traffic
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
This document is communicated to Governments for nfidential information in view of the fact that it has not t been considered by the Advisory Committee on Traffic Opium and Other Dangerous Drugs. [Communicated to the Council Official No. : C. 465. M. 200. 1934. XI. a n d the Members of the League.] [O.C.294 («).] Geneva, October 1st, 1934. LEAGUE OF NATIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON TRAFFIC IN OPIUM AND OTHER DANGEROUS DRUGS SUMMARY OF ILLICIT TRANSACTIONS AND SEIZURES REPORTED TO THE SECRETARIAT OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS BETWEEN JULY 1s t AND SEPTEMBER 30t h , 1934 PART I. CASES r e p o r t e d in p r e v i o u s s u m m a r ie s in r e g a r d to WHICH FURTHER INFORMATION HAS BEEN RECEIVED. No. 182.—Illicit Traffic in Drugs in Warsaw, January 1932. See O.C.294ffr;, The Polish delegation at Geneva reports (August 24th, 1934) that Pa?e 2-2' information reached the Polish police that the shop of a confectioner, 34829/157- Wisniewski, was being used as a rendezvous of drug smugglers. A watch was kept on this shop and it was ascertained that the traffickers frequenting this place were Pierre and Stanislas Olechowski and Leon Haber. Further enquiries showed that these persons bought their supplies either from the chemist Michelis, from the pharmaceutical agent Brajtkopf, or from Marie Orlowska, who was employed by the pharmaceutical firm of Ludwig Spiess & Sons. A search of the premises occupied by Pierre and Stanislas Olechowski and Leon Haber led to no results, but 20 grammes of opium were found at the house of Brajtkopf and 4 grammes of heroin at, the house of Marie Orlowska. Neither Brajtkopf nor Orlowska could give the origin of the drugs seized. An enquiry was instituted at the pharmacy of Michelis, and it was ascertained that his books had not been kept according to the regulations in force and that the amounts of drugs in stock were not correct, there being 10 grammes of morphine missing, while there was a surplus of heroin. At the house of a certain Trzaskowski, 1.542 prescriptions for drugs were found. All the accused, with the exception of Trzaskowski, who was acquitted, were sentenced to terms of imprisonment of from one to two years. The Attorney-General, as well as the accused who were sentenced, have appealed. No. 800.—Seizure at Szopienice, Poland, in August 1932, of Cocaine labelled. “ Kokain, Ghem. Farbwerke Darmstadt See O.C.294(oJ, The Polish delegation at Geneva reports (August 14th, 1934) that Paj=e,'n^V , o , Szajnerman was sentenced to a fine. 0.C.294 (r), page 3, and J 0.C.294 fs), page 4. ■29-20/ 3 8 7 . No, 867.—Seizure at Marseilles, January 22nd, 1933, of Morphine concealed in Cheeses coming from Bulgaria. See O.G.294fp), The Bulgarian Government reports (September 11th, 1934) that, as a page ltj' result of the enquiries instituted by the competent Bulgarian authorities 2184/387. into this case, it could not be proved that the Intercontinentale Agency had been engaged in the illicit opium traffic. No. 954.—Seizure at Paterson, New Jersey, on July 10th, 1933, of Heroin bearing the Label of the Firm of Merck & Co., Darmstadt, and of Morphine, both despatched from France. The Government of the United States of America forwarded, on July SS 44 21st, 1934, a report dated May 31st, 1934, from the Comptroller-General of Judiciary Research, Ministry of the Interior, Paris, in regard to this 1281/388(1 4 ), case. This report stated that the forwarder of the bales of cotton rags No. 234(a). in which the narcotics seized were concealed, and wrhich bore the name of “ E. Langer ”, has not been discovered or identified. The merchant who furnished the bales has however been discovered and has been identified as Mendel (Maurice) Vigderhaus, a wholesale rag-merchant in Paris. He is assisted in his work by his three sons, Emile Samuel, Leon and Georges Israel Vigderhaus. The case was opened against a certain X, and, during the course of this case, which is still pending, the magistrate accused -Iendel Vigderhaus and two of his sons, Emile and Leon, of infraction of the poisonous substances laws. The Government of the United Stales further reports that Joseph Damato has now been apprehended, but that the case against him and his twro brothers is still pending. No' 9§7. —Seizure at Opava, May 1932, of 93 grammes of Opium smuggled from Poland. Pageï1294^ ’ The Polish delegation at Geneva reports (August 24th, 1934) that enquiries pursued in Poland have shown that Josef Boze g 079/1072. opium in question from a certain Marthe \\ idzialkowa. had - - had been bought previously by Marthe Wid2ialko™s husband, who had .................... A search of her house revealed uut stated tnat she aid not Know 11 wa» upmn.. ---■ <1, in view of the fact that the opium had b e e n bought by WJBifwithout........................................... knowing its character, she was acquitted." k — 4 — No. 1003.—Seizure of 14 kg. 541 grs. of Prepared Opium at Philadelphia, Julv 5tVi 1933. See 0.0.294 (rJ, The Government of the United States of America, in its annual report page 9. for 1933, states that Cohen was also tried and convicted in the Federal 1281/388(15). Court, receiving a sentence of 2 | years, to begin at the expiration of the sentence imposed by the State court. No. 1007.—Seizure at Gesky Tesin, Czechoslovakia, April 1st, 1932, of Morphine labelled Merck & Co., Darmstadt. See O.G.294(r), The German Government further reports (May 17th, 1934) that the ,^nd ,, r circumstances on which the report from Czechoslovakia on this case arc (s), paBe based are the following : Three Czechoslovak nationals, Stanek, Berger O.C.S.200. and Krell, of Teschen (Tesin), at the end of 1931 or beginning of 1932, 1079/1072. established relations with Erhard Hartmann, innkeeper, of Annaberg near Ratibor, with a view to purchasing narcotics, as Hartmann had told them that he had opium, cocaine and morphine to dispose of. A fourth Czechoslovak national, Widenka, living at Neu-Oderberg (Bohumin), undertook the negotiations. Some days later, he brought Stanek £ kg. of “ cocaine ” in three or four bottles, for which he had paid 2,400 crowns. Stanek, however, ascertained that the phials did not contain cocaine, but chalk, and brought them back to Hartmann and ordered morphine instead. Widenka later received a packet from Hartmann containing J kg. of “ morphine ” which he brought to Stanek in Teschen, but this also was merely chalk. In March 1932, Alois Janetzka approached Hartmann for the purchase of narcotics and obtained from him 1 kg. of alleged morphine for 5,000 crowns which he smuggled across the frontier. He was arrested at Ce sky Tesin on April 1st, as reported by the Czechoslovak Government, and received fourteen days’ imprisonment. In .June 1932, he made a further purchase of “ morphine ” from Hartmann for 2,500 crowns. The morphine ” consisted of white cubes, which were ascertained to be some innocuous substance, probably chalk. In all these cases, Hartmann affixed false labels to the boxes containing the alleged narcotics. According to further information received by the German authorities from the police headquarters at Prague in October 1932, the following individuals were arrested at Troppau on September 11th and 12th, 1932, for smuggling narcotics : Josef Heinrich, Rudolf Mat! and Josef Wadiczka, all Czechoslovak nationals. The drugs in this case consisted of six phials of “ morphine ” tablets containing 100 grammes each and five phials of “ cocaine ” also obtained from Hartmann. It has not been proved that any genuine narcotics were involved in this case, and it is very unlikely that they were, since, in all previous cases, Hartmann supplied only sham goods. Hartmann was sentenced on February 21st, 1933, for repeated fraud, in conjunction with offences against the opium law7, to six months’ imprisonment. No. 1008.—Seizure at Moravska-Ostrava, May 10th, 1932, of Morphine obtained in Germany. See O.C.294(r;, The German Government reports (May 17th. 1934) that Schwanemann pagë 11, and was sentenced on December 28th. 1932, to a fine of 20 RM. (24,50 0.0.294(8,), page 6. Swiss francs) or four days’ imprisonment. O.C.S.200. 1079/1072, No. 1020.—Seizure at Moravska-Ostrava, on March 19th, 1932, of Cocaine obtained in Germany. See 0.0.294 (r>, The German Government reports (May 17th, 1934) that the name o page 14. the druggist implicated in this case is Herbert, and not Hubert, Lassak, O.C.S.200. and that he is resident at Ratibor, and not Ratisbon. The German 1079/1072. Government further states that Lassak declared that the goods seize consisted of “ 1400 gr. talc, 200 gr. lactose, 400 gr. magnesia . ^ appears that four persons—Klaus Schippan, Anna Richter, Ernst Matysik and L e o Sczenzny induced the brothers Lassak, who had a druggist’s establishment at Ratibor, to procure iea cocaine for them. As this was impossible, the brothers Lassak prepared four bags containing talc, lactose and magnesia to a total of 2 kg., labelling the contents as genuine cocaine. four individuals above mentioned brought this alleged cocaine in an ambulance from Rati o to Moravska-Ostrava, where they were arrested. j Another case in which Lassak of Ratibor was implicated was reported in a statem ent issuj^ by the police headquarters, Prague, on M ay 23rd, 1932. Two Czechoslovak nationals, rra Dudek, of Darkovitz, and Oswald Ccrnik, of Koblov,1 were arrested by the Czechos o' authorities for traffic in “ cocaine ” and “ morphia ”, They stated that they had obtain ^ these substances from Lassak.