Evening star., 1947-04-11
British Veterans Use
|5mugglers Methods
In 0u,..aw Industry
By Wendy Mac Gowon
North Americon Newspaper Alliance

LONDON, April 11.-It's said that
there is no black market in Britain.
It would be truer to say that the
black market is patronized only by
a minority. But what is sign OF
the lawlessness Of the times is the
ferocious increase in smuggling,
which is reputed today to be a $16,-
0OO, 900 industry.
Recently, for example. the waters
of Plymouth Sound were strewn
with American cigarettes - over
which the gulls fought madly-
when the royal nayy's fleet auxil-
iary, Fort Duquesne, came into dock
from the Far East with Chinese
crew and a large number OF naval
ratings and admiralty civilians as
passengers.
Acting on q tip, customs officers
went aboard to search for opium,
but found themselves the center OF
a wild game to find more and more
cigarettes and trace the owners be-
fore the latter could throw them
overheard.
Cigarette Hoard Found.
In the end, 10000 cigarettes were
found under the deck plates OF a
single workshop, and $4,000 more
behind some wooden pafieling.
On the other hand, Britain has
her share of adventurous young men
with time on their hands,. who,
coached by unscrupulous business
men," are going into smuggling In a
big way. They ply their outlaw trade
by night along the Channel coast,
the historic old Snugglers' Row
Kent and Sussex, Dorset and Devon,
the lonely Romney marshes and
bleak Dungeness. They bring in
spirits and wines, perfumes and silks,
watches and jewelry.
This Is looked on as somewhat of
hangover from wartime reckless
ness and the habit of pitting cum
ming against an opponent. Many OF
the leaders are said to be young
veterans of good families, whose
taste for adventure was aroused by
the war and defeated by the peace.
The "Al Capone" Of the picture is
said to be a rich, yacht-owning
businessman, who never handles
contraband himself but acts as a
fence" to dispose Of 1t in profitable
markets in London's West End. His
chief henchman is a young dare
devil who owns speedboats and
motorcars and uses them in what
he considers sport.
And they still use the methods Of
the old smugglers, even to Their
codes.
Methods Explained.
The story goes that on a calm
and misty night a French smack
will appear to be fishing harmlessly
outside the territorial limit In
pubs and clubs ashore where the
smugglers congregate, the code
phase is whispered: "The fish are
running tonight"
At midnight a yacht or fishing
boat slips out of the harbor and
steals to the side Of the smack
where, by the light Of a kerosene
hurricane lamp, the exchanges are
made. French luxuries are current
ly fetching very high prices on the
outlaw market.
Before returning, the snuggler
skipper flashes a light signal to
shore A reassuring flash by way
of answer tells him the Coast Guards
are not on the spot. Landing back
in a quiet spot. the craft will be
met by a car, which rushes the stuff
to a smugglers' headquarters far
inland.
Coast Guards freely admit that
they often see those lights flashing
at sea, but they are so understaffed
that they cannot take effective
counteraction. Furthermore, the
smugglers' spy system is so efficient
that if the Coast Guard caught up
with them. they would already have
dumped the stuff overheard,