C-72-M-69-1941-XI EN.Pdf
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ocument is communicated to Governments for nfidc-r. formation in view of the fact that it has not yet bees îisidered by the Advisory Committee on Traffic in Ppium s Other Dangerous Drugs. [Communicated to the Council C. 72. 69. 1941. xi. and the Members of the League.] [O.C.S.300 (s)3 Geneva, December 10th, 1941. 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 OCTOBER 1s t AND DECEMBER 31s t , 1940 PART I CASES REPORTED IN PREVIOUS SUMMARIES IN REGARD TO WHICH FURTHER INFORMATION HAS BEEN RECEIVED No. 1821. *3y Possible Case of Illicit Traffic at Bogota Colombia. Information supplied by the Government of the United States of America, September 3rd, 194(i Reference : Referring to the Colombian Government’s report dated April 12th ? n ^ < i v 2 n94,0'X ofi 1940, concerning this case, the Government of the United States of v-J.U.O.OUUl Q} I, DclSfG -vO. < , p n O.G.S./Cont'.l 149(a). A m erica w ro te as follows : “ On the basis of the information contained in this report, a careful investigation was institued by the appropriate authorities of the Government of the United States which disclosed that the tablets seized in Bogota were apparently a part of a batch of one-eighth grain morphine sulphate tablets manufactured by Parke, Davis & Co. on February 1st, 1915 ; that the usual disposition of stock of this character is not later than six months from the date of manufacture ; and that there is no record of the places to which these tablets were shipped because Parke, Davis & Co. do not retain their shipping records for such a long period as twenty-five years. ” Nos. 1216, 1617. 1659 and 1679. — Thefts of narcotic drugs shipped to Colombia on the s.s. “ Cordillera ”, flying the German flag, discovered at BarranQuilla between June 1938 and July 1939. References : _ In a communication dated August 11th, 1938, th e Government 6e>3^ ’ of Colombia informed the Secretariat of the League of Nations [O c°S 300(jj], page 28, th a t, on June 1st, 1938, up o n verification in the Barranquilla and C.346.M.261.1939.X I Customs offices, of packages which had arrived on the s.s. Cordillera. [O.C.S.300(h)], page 2 ; it w as found that case No. 840/4 which should have contained c'346-M’61 ?939ax i 943^ ’ ^ kg. of cocaine for the “ Drogueria Nueva York ” at Bogota, [O C S*300(n)] page 22 • w hich w as authorised by licence to im p o rt certain drugs, contained C. i 4.M. 12.1940. XI nothing but magazines printed in a foreign language. Following [0.c.s.300(o)], page 2 ; on this communication, the Secretariat asked the Colombian 1 ’ Government, on November 8th, 1938, for further information. [6 c 's 300(o)], "page 23 ; That information, which was dated January 12th, 1939, was O.C.S./Conf. 1019 ; ’ communicated by th e Secretariat, for observations, to the German C.14.M.12.1940.XI Consulate-General at Geneva, which transmitted its reply on LP^CcS"/r°0^f H’n?Qge 16 ’ -^u^v 14th, 1939 (see documents O.C.S./Conf. 653 and 653(e) ; oicis./Conf! 1200.’ C.385.M.230.1938.XI [O.C.S.300(/)], page 28 ; G.346.M.261.1939.X1 [O.C.S.300(/i)j, page 2). The following further cases of thefts of drugs shipped to Colombia on the s.s. Cordillera were reported by the Colombian Government : 1. Theft discovered at BarranQuilla in April 1939 of 26 boxes of eucodal containing 260 ampoules (see documents O.C.S./Conf. 943 and 943(a) ; C.346.M.261.1939.XI [O.C.S. 3O0;/i':]. page 22, case No. 1617, and C.14.M.12.1940.X I [O.C.S.300(o)], page 2, case No. 1617). 2. Theft discovered at- BarranQuilla in June 1939 of 300 grammes of cocaine hydrochlo ride (see documents O.C.S./Conf. 1019, item 1, and C. 14.M. 12.1940.X I [O.C.S.300(o)j, page23. case No. 1679). 3. Theft discovered at BarranQuilla in July 1939 of 400 grammes of morphine hydro chloride and 100 grammes of cocaine hydrochloride (see documents O.C.S./Conf. 1019 ani, C.I4.M.12.1940.XI [O.C.S.300(o)], page 16, case No. 1659). Under date of October 2nd, 1939, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs at Bogota transmitter a reQuest, from the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Welfare, that, “ in view of the fee that all the narcotic drugs which have entered the illicit traffic during the previous montfc of the present year, and which have been obtained from licit consignments sent to ColomDto and duly reported, were stolen from s.s. Cordillera under German flag, and that 1.000- gramme»j "I , n n of cocaine were similarly stolen last year ”, the competent body at Geneva undertaKe « enQuiry with a view to the discovery of the author or authors of the above-mentioned offences. On December 30th, 1939, the Secretariat transmitted to the German Consulate-Gene.® at Geneva the letter and memorandum which have been reproduced in document 0 .G.S./vo ^ 1200. The German authorities were reQuested to undertake enQuiries with a vie# > ascertaining whether the cases containing the drugs which had disappeared were intacu to the time when they were no longer under German supervision, ,.)Ut, In a communication dated August 23rd, 1940, the German Consulate at Geneva, acJ^s under instructions from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, stated that investigations ft ^ conducted by the Reich Department for the Suppression of Narcotic Drug Offences and mai the following observations : In the matter of the theft referred to in documents O.C.S./Conf. 653 and 653(a), tûe.iey of the investigations carried out by the German authorities had already been Ç°™munl^j0li to the League Secretariat, which was, in particular, informed that the consignment in ques- — 3 was jntact both at the time when it was accepted for shipment at Antwerp and when it was landed at Puerto Colombia, that no complaint was made when the consignment was handed over at that port and that it was only during the Customs examination at BarranQuilla that the theft was discovered. The results of this investigation were reproduced on page 2 of document O.C.S./Conf. 653(a). SubseQuent German investigations yielded no further results. As regards the thefts referred to in documents O.C.S./Conf. 943 and 943(a), it appears from those documents th a t the theft, on two separate occasions, of a total number of 26 boxes 131 _f- 129 = 260 ampoules) of eucodal was committed on the premises of the Colombian Customs authorities and that the watchmen responsible were fined the sum of 72.80 Colombian pesos, this amount representing the value of the goods removed. The consignments referred to in sections I and II of document O.C.S./Conf. 1019 were shipped at Antwerp as special goods and were accordingly stowed on board the vessel with particular care. Both cases must have been externally in good condition at the time of unloading, for they gave rise to no reservation. If, nevertheless, a difference in weight was noted at BarranQuilla, this difference may have occurred before the goods were accepted on board the vessel, since no further check of the weight is made at that time, or it may have occurred after unloading in the place of destination or, again, it may have occurred before the verification by the Customs authorities. The last-named possibility is the most likely, for the consignment landed on July 23rd, 1939, was not checked by the BarranQuilla Customs authorities until August 25th, 1939, and the consignment landed on June 23rd, 1939, was actually not checked until September 8th, 1939. In the light of the above-mentioned circumstances, the opinion expressed by the Colom bian Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Welfare to the effect that the theft committed in the case of these consignments took place on board the German ss. Cordillera before unloading must be definitely rejected. Apart from the fact that the theft mentioned in documents O.C.S./Conf. 943 and 943(a) took place in the premises of the Customs authorities at BarranQuilla, it is clear from the investigations made that experience shows that thefts of the same kind are committed on shore, during the work of unloading, by workmen of the country. Notwithstanding the very strict supervision exercised by the officers and guards of the German vessel, these thefts cannot, unfortunately, be entirely prevented. In Germany, the loading of the vessels takes place under strict supervision. The hatchways are kept closed during the voyage, so that there is no possibility of anyone going near the packages shipped. Moreover, chemical products are stowed in special compartments, of which only the second officer has the keys, so that there can be no danger of their being tampered with in any way whatsoever. S' d' 725 (F.) 600 (A.) 12/41. Imp. Granchamp, Annemasse. — 4 — RESULTS OF JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS IN CONNECTION WITH CASES OF ILLICIT TRAFFIC PREVIOUSLY REPORTED Result Reference Name Imprisonment Fine Egypt : C.14.M.12.1940.XI Yousef Ali Auda. Five years each. To pay conjointly £E. 11.013 [O.G.S.300(c)], page 2t>, Mohd.