Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1915-06-17
BIC OPIUM RAID
HERE; CHINESE
UNDER ARREST
1000 Worth of Drug Seized
by Federal Agents on La
fayette Street.
DAYBREAK RAID AND
BATTLE IN DWELLING
Four Prisoners Taken-Opium
Reported Struggled in Herring
Casks on English Ships.

Four Chinese were arrested. s. 900
worth of opium conflscated and a
daring smuggling plot was uncovered
when Federal officers raided a build
ing at 1S and Is Lafayette street,
early today. The prisoners were
arraigned before United States Com
missioner Edwin r. Semple and held
In bail for hearing next Monday.
Ng Jim, proprietor of the place at
10 Lafayette street, is said to be the
hrst Federal prisoner charged with
three crimes in connection with
opium raids in this country Jim is
accused of smuggling the opium here.
OF manufacturing the crude gum in
| TO smoking drug, and of having the
/ drug in his possession without the
registry required by the recent Har-
rison act. He was held in $5, 900 bail.
The other three prisoners are
Charlie Kee, laundryman, of $40 West
Kinney street; Bing Sen, of 10 La
fayette street, and Ng Gee, of 1S La
fayette street. Each prisoner was
| held in $1,000 bail during the hearing.
Former Judge Thomas S. Henry ap-
peared for the accused men prison.
! ers.
Tip from Smuggler.
Four custom inspectors made the
raid which took place Before day.
break. They suspected Ng Jim and
his associates through information
| secured from a confessed smuggler,
VINO gave his name as Henry David
Lewis Cooperstein. The latter is now
serving q term of one year in the
Federal prison at Atlanta, Ca, after
having confessed to taking part In
carrying out an opium smuggling
| scheme.
Cooperstein told the officers the
opium was shipped here from Lon
don. England, hidden in barrels of
herring. A London syndicate of drug
dealers is said to have financed the
smuggling scheme
Shortly after 10 o'clock last night
the four inspectors saw three Chinese
enter the building at 15 Lafayette
street. The inspectors waited until
nearly / o'clock in the morning before
they saw two other Chinese carrying
bundles into the same building.
The four inspectors crept up the
dark stairway until they came to
Ng Jirf1's apartment, on the third
hoor. Three doors lead from this
apartment into the hall Inspector
|
raid, decided to enter the apartment,
leaving one inspector to cover each
| of the three exits with their re-
volvers. The other inspectors are
Emmett S. Kyle, Michael J. Collins
and Elmer J. Lewis all connected
with the New York customs service.
| When Sullivan pushed a door open
five frightened Chinese jumped up
and began to protest in their own
tongue. They were warned that any
attempt to escape would mean the
inspectors outside would start shoot
ing. One Chinese slipped past Sulli-
van and leaped over balustrade in
an attempt to reach the street He
was caught before he was half way
down the stairs.
We're "HittIng the Pipe"
Ng Jim and Charlie Kee were
spectors entered, according to Sulli-
van. These two were placed under
arrest. Big Sen had a small ball of
opium concealed under a loose jacket
when he was searched. The other
two men were not found smoking
neither was any opium found on
them. They were permitted to leave
the house.
One small room was locked In
spector Sullivan commanded Ng Jim
to give up the keys to all rooms In
the locked room the inspectors found
two suitcases, containing thirty eight
cans Of opium One of the cans was
marked mo. 1867 in Chinese. This
showed there had been at least 195
cans of the drug in the shipment
smuggled into this country, said In
spector Sullivan.
Ng Jim is alleged to have con-
fessed that the opium found in his
rooms belonged to him. The inspec-
tors also confiscated two COM
plete opium layouts, consisting of
pipes, lamps, trays, sponges and gee
rags. A large number of playing
cards were found in a drawer. These
cards are heavily glazed on the sur
face. 1t is said tho Chinese place a
small quantity on each of the cards
in selling the drug. The card can be
folded up and made so small 1t is
difficult to detect it even when q
suspect is searched.
With Ng Jim, Charlie Kee and
Bing Sen in custody the inspectors
went through the building at 13
Lafayette street. On the second floor
of this house they entered the apart
ment kept by Ng Gee, who was
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