The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1911-12-29
.TWO BROTHERS
IMPORT DOPE
Chung and Lee Thought to Have
Cleaned Up Fortune in
Twelve Months.


the neiRhborhoUd Of ten thousand dol
lars by bringing opium from the Coast
and disposing Of IL in the local market
during tho past year, is the opinion Of
District Attorney Robert w. Breckons,
after his investigation Of the case.
Chung, Il will be remembered, was the
person to whom the opium, hidden in
a shipment of apples, on the Lurline
last week, was consigned. He was ar
rested day or two afterward when
the customs authorities had found the
dope carefully hidden away.
BY means of his checkbooks, BreclS-
ons traced some of his deals, although
the entries concerning opium were OBJ
seure and partially hidden. With some
thing to 90 on, however, entries in the
books, which would otherwise have been
uninteIligible, became PLAIN. Through
this search of the business transactions
Of Ching, it was found that he had a
brother in San Francisco who was the
Coast end Of the firm bringing in the
opium here Cables were sent to Unit
led States authorities there, and they
searched his store, finding letters and
other documents which 60 far to cinch
the case against his brother here.
Evidence Here.
One of these letters was received in
yesterdays mail by the District Attor-
pey. 1t had been one found torn in
the waste basket in the San Francisco
house, and pasted together on news
paper by the officials. The brother Is
name is s. K Lee.
This letter which Breckons received
was not complete, as several pieces of
the torn communication had been lost,
but enough is there to make the read
ling fairly easy. In this letter the HO-
nolulu Chinese told his brother of his
plans and how business was going, re-
ferring to opium as ed" or "medi-
cine" He said that in another year
he would have ten thousand dollars
worth of property here, and with the
completion of the Panama Canal, and
the growth of the city he believed it
would double in short time. Also, he
told Of the trip to China which the
two were to make next year, but said
that on account of his Investments here
he did not plan to spend much money
on the trip. This was the only letter
which was received yesterday, but a
Communication attached to it stated
that there was package of other let.
tiers and documents in the same mail,
this letter having been overlooked when
the package was made up.
| Roolrs Show Much.
The books which Breckons found in
iperiod from December 10, 1911, to
June 16, 1911, and in that time he spent
| for apples, potatoes, etc., on the Coast
the sum of $3.50. During the same
period the books show that $4,000 was
spent for merchandise, - which is the
term under which opium appears to
figure in the accounts. From June to
December of this year, there are no
account books yet in the possession of
the district attorney, but the bank
books of Chung show that during this
six months he eabled to San Francisco
the sum of $500, and if this was made
| up of legitimate produce and dope pur-
chases in the same proportion as the
previous SIX months, it would mean
nearly $4,000 spent for opium during
that time.
In addition to the direct purchase of
opium on the Coast for which money
was sent from Honolulu, it appears that
there was another means by which the
two Chinese carried on their deals, and
this was by sending rice from Homo
lulu to be sold in San Francisco. The
money received for this rice was spent
for opium, and SO there is no means
of knowing exactly how much dope was
bought in this way. 1t is estimated that
the rice sent away sold for $4,000, and
the greater part of this money was
used by Lee in San Francisco for the
purchase Of opium.
Made Big Profits.
Taking all things into consideration
the district attorney believes that $l5,-
900 was used for the parchase of opium
in San Francisco. Judged by the diff
ference in price Of the drug in the Coast
port and here during the period cover
ed by the deals, there would be a pro-
pit of $4,000 in bringing this $4,000
worth Of opium to Honolulu and selling
idt here. These two men are the only
ones thought TO be mixed up in the
triek of using apples and potatoes as
IA hiding for Illicit merchandise but
the other discovery of a large amount
of dope ON Saturday is the unearthipe
of another crowd Of importers who have
prodted by the difference in price Of
opium In San Francisco .and Honolulu
during the past few months.
There have been no new developments
an this case as far as the prosecuting
officer Is concerned. lie admits that II
h the work Of Chinese only.
sF*@#$###E+t#*$Fs##HAssas
around the market and keeping them
clean,
Attorney Humphrey hfnt attacked
Tho charges with aemaHer IN which
| DO ehaIleA. among other lAlnna. lhnl