C. 86. M. 86. 1946.x i . [0.c.300(y)] Geneva, October 1st, 1946. LEAGUE OF NATIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON TRAFFIC IN OPIUM AND OTHER DANGEROUS DRUGS SUMMARY OF ILLICIT TRANSACTIONS AND SEIZURES DURING 1944 r e p o r t e d to the secretariat of the league of nations Noie This document, which was prepared by the Secretariat of the League of Nations before July 31st, had to be printed after that date. The cost of printing it was therefore borne by the United Nations. 4696. — 700 (F.). 625 (A.).10/46. Imp. Granchamp, Annemasse. — 3 — PART I CASES REPORTED IN PREVIOUS SUMMARIES IN REGARD TO WHICH FURTHER INFORMATION HAS BEEN RECEIVED Nil. — 4 PART II NEW CASES OF SEIZURES DIVIDED INTO THE FOLLOWING GROUPS: 1. R aw Opium. 4. H eroin. 2. P repared Opium and D ross. 5. Coca Leaves and Cocaine. 3. Morphine. 6. Indian H emp. 1. RAW OPIUM No. 2268. — Seizures in the Interior of Egypt during November and December 1943. Report communicated by the Central Narcotics Intelligence Bureau, Cairo, February 18th, 1945. Reference : 1 (a). Opium : 6 kg. 432 gr. O.C.S./Conf.l620. Hashish : 3 kg. 275 gr. 3. There were five cases, one in November and four in December. One concerned hashish and the rest opium. There were seven accused, all Egyptians. 4. There were three sentences of imprisonment for three years, two accompanied with fines of £e .500 and one with a fine of £e .600 ; one sentence of imprisonment for two years with a fine of £e .200, one of imprisonment for eighteen months and a fine of £e .300, one of fifteen months and a fine of £e .250 and one of twelve months and a fine of £e .200. No. 2269. — Seizures in the Interior of Egypt during the First Quarter of 1944. Report communicated by the Central Narcotics Intelligence Bureau, Cairo, February 18th. 1945. Reference : 1 (a). Opium : 8 kg. 100 gr. 0,C.S./Conf,1620. Hashish : 10 kg. 193 gr. 3. There were seven cases, four concerning hashish, two of hashish and opium and one of opium. The accused were all Egyptians. 4. Sentences of imprisonment ranged from eighteen months to three years and fines ranged from £ e .200 to £ e .500. No. 2270. — Seizures in the Interior of Egypt during the Second Quarter of 1944. Report communicated by the Central Narcotics Intelligence Bureau. Cairo. February 18th, 1945. Reference : 1 (a). Opium : 27 kg. 36 gr. O.C.S./Conf.I620. Hashish : 5 kg. 950 gr. 3. There were nine cases, five concerning opium alone, one concerning hashish alone and three concerning both. The accused were all Egyptians. 4. Sentences of imprisonment ranged from one to three years and fines from £ e .10(ï to £e.600. No. 2271. — Seizures in the Interior of Egypt during the Third Quarter of 1944. Report communicated by the Central Narcotics Intelligence Bureau, Cairo. February 18th, 1945. Reference : 1 (a). Opium : 270 kg. 65 gr. O.C.S./Conf.l620. Hashish : 223 kg. 196 gr. 3. There were nine cases, five concerning opium alone, one concerning hashish alone and three concerning both. A large seizure of 245 kg. 490 gr- 0 opium and 217 kg. 340 gr. of hashish took place at Fayed on July 28th, 1944. The accuse were all Egyptians. 4. Sentences of imprisonment ranged from one to three years and fines from £e.200 to £ e .500. No. 2272. — Seizures in the Interior of Egypt during October and November 1944. communicated by the Central Narcotics Intelligence Bureau, Cair . February 18th, 1945. Reference : 1 (a). Opium : 7 kg. 364 gr. 0,C.S./Conf.l620. Hashish : 1 kg. 160 gr. 3. There were four cases, two of which concerning °PlU I1 and hashish and two opium alone. The accused were all Egyptians. — 5 — 4. Sentences of imprisonment ranged from six months to three years and fines from £e.100 to £e .500. No. 2273. — Seizure at Alexandria on February 16th, 1944. Report communicated by the Central Narcotics Intelligence Bureau, Cairo, July 17th, 1944. Reference : 1 (a). Opium : 1 kg. 60 gr. Origin unknown. 0 C S. Conf.1541. 3. Upon information being received by the Special Investiga­ tion Branch of the British Army to the effect that a member of the British Forces, who had been reported as an absentee, was living at a certain house in Alexandria, the house in question was raided. Although the search proved negative in so far as the absentee was concerned, several obJects of War Department property and 1 kg. 60 gr. of opium were found. The occupant of the house, on interrogation, declared that the War Department obJects and the opium belonged to a Greek sailor of the Greek Royal Navy, who lived in her house. At this point, the sailor appeared and admitted the ownership but refused to say anything else. 4. On June 26th, 1944, this sailor was tried by the Mixed Tribunal, Alexandria, and was sentenced to imprisonment for one year and a fine of £ e .200. No. 2274. — Seizure at Alexandria on June 7th, 1944. Report communicated by the Central Narcotics Intelligence Bureau, Cairo, December 4th, 1944. Reference : 1 (a). Opium : 1 kg. 30 gr. Origin unknown. O.C.S./Conf.l678. w , . ° ° I, Mohammed Hussein Ghaleb ; Petros Arnaoutis. 3. Acting on information that a certain person of Alexandria was a friend of Arnaoutis, one of the accused in the Heliopolis bank robbery, the authorities raided the house of the person in question. This person was absent, but his wife was there and a search revealed the drugs seized. Ghaleb arrived soon after the search and claimed the drugs as his property. He stated that he had purchased them for £e .90 from a Palestinian soldier unknown to him. 4. Ghaleb was tried by the Drugs Summary Native Court and sentenced to imprisonment for three years and a fine of £ e .500. No. 2275. —- Seizure at Alexandria on June 28th, 1944. Report communicated by the Central Narcotics Intelligence Bureau, November 16th, 1944. Reference : 1 (a). Opium : 685 grammes in - i O.C.S.'Conf•o.,uum.ioou. 1680 uHashish v i. : 290one? gram m es \ Origin6 unknown. 3. It was learnt that an Egyptian, Sobhi Agami Salama, was trafficking in arms and his house was searched on June 28th. No arms were discovered, but the above drugs were found. Ahmed Mohammed Hassan, nephew of Sobhi Agami Salama, stated that the drugs in question had been purchased from two drug traffickers in Alexandria. _ 4. Sobhi Agami Salama was sentenced to imprisonment for three years and a fine of &.500, while his nephew was sentenced to imprisonment for one year and a fine of £e .200. Ihe two drug traffickers of Alexandria were acquitted for lack of evidence. No. 2276. — Seizure at Cairo on February 21st, 1944. Report communicated by the Central Narcotics Intelligence Bureau, Cairo, June 18th, 1945. Reference : 1 (a). Opium : 35 kg. 322 gr. / n ■ ■ , U'C.S./Conf.l669 u , • , 0 i oic; l Origin unknown. • Hashish : 3 kg. 215 gr. ) 6 , 2. Moscow Leon Ronco, Palestinian ; Maurice Mayer Costi, alian, watchmaker ; Samuel Vita Costi, Italian ; Jack Rizzo Gani ; Joseph Barouk Levy, rench ; Samha Ezra, of Abbassia ; and two British soldiers. , 3- Ronco and one of the British soldiers were arrested while in possession of 25 kg. of Danish and opium. Ronco stated that a British soldier when in Palestine told him that fo th - soldier had brought 375 kg. of drugs to Cairo and that his help wras needed for , e*r distribution. Ronco therefore came clandestinely to Cairo and, on his arrival, on K some the drugs had already been disposed of to Samuel Costi and Gani, who sold i ^ evy ‘ The other three boxes had been stored at the house of Maurice Costi. ad these sent to the house of Samha Ezra, where they were seized. £e 1 finr ^ onco was sentenced by default to imprisonment for five years and a fine of ac<Ju‘n ^an* to imprisonment for two years and a fine of £e.200 ; Samha Ezra was for ky the Summary Court, but the Court of Appeal sentenced her to imprisonment by Year and a fine of £e.200. The foreign subJects connected with the case were tried • ne Mixed Tribunal, Cairo, and the two Costi wrere each sentenced to imprisonment for — 6 eighteen months and a fine of £ e .200, and Levy to imprisonment for twelve months and a fine of £ e .200. As regards the two soldiers, the one arrested was handed over to the British Military Authorities and was proved to be insane ; the other could not be traced. No. 2277. — Seizures at Cairo on September 4th and 7th, 1944. Report communicated by the Central Narcotics Intelligence Bureau, Cairo, June 25th, 1945. Reference : 1 (a). Opium : 18 kg. 830 gr. Origin unknown. O.C.S./Conf.l675. Hashish : 2 kg. 830 gr. 2 . Taufik Khalifa Soued, merchant of Cairo ; three British soldiers who were deserters. 3. One of the soldiers was arrested on September 4th in the Haifa-Cairo train in possession of the opium in question. He said it was intended for Taufik Khalifa Soued. On September 7th the soldier was sent to Taufik’s shop under strict supervision accompanied by a boy confidant disguised as a porter. Taufik and the other two deserters from the British Army met them, took the valise and Jumped into a car, which drove away at high speed followed by the C.N.I.B. officers in another car. The G.N.I.B.