Lubbock Avalanche-Journal from Lubbock, Texas • Page 38

4.A-4U880CK AVALANCHE Evening, jMuary 4, 1973 "Chinese Connection" Plays Bigger Role In Drug Trade! By DAVID J. I'AIXK HONG KONG (AP) Among the farm houses, tenements and sprawling mansions of this colony are about 20 secret laboratories producing more and more of American the heroin sold street corners. cording to Western narcotics experts. This "Chinese Connection" is expanding as legal and diplomatic pressure traditional threatens the "French Connection" of Turkish opium or morphine processed into heroin in France and then smuggled to the United States. The U.S.

Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs estimates the percentage of Southeast Asian heroin supplying the American market has at least doubled recently, to almost a third of the total U.S. supply. But narcotics agents tend to Scoff at precise figures. Balance Sheet "The traffickers don't publish 'balance sheets, so how can we know how much they are smuggling. They don't even know the overall amount says one agent.

Rolph, Hong Kong's of narcotics, people in this business are very security and surveillance conscious. They have a high degree of mobility. The laboratories in which they refine the morphine are everywhere, from chicken runs to villas. They spend just a day or two in each one and then move on to another." The opium and heroin trade in this part of the world is almost exclusively run by Chinese, and ike vast bulk of their trafficking is for Asian addicts. Officials say there is no indication mainland China is ex- poriing any of the narcotics.

If arrested, the traffickers almost never tell authorities about their smuggling network. "The Mafia are publicity hounds compared to the Chinese," says an informant in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. ISased Money, Fear "Money and fear are the only things that hold this dirty business together, and money is the commissioner says: "All the only thing we can with," he adds. chip at it Thailand and Hong Kong use a reward system based on the value of drug seizures to attract informers. In Hong Kong, an informer can earn as much as $100,000 for a tip that leads to a major seizure and arrests.

And nearly ail major seizures come from such information. But generally it is only the small fry that are caught. The rich financiers pulling the Traffic Increases In Hong Kong strings from the top evade arrest. They carefully avoid any direct contact with the people handling drugs. Even when authorities know whom they are, no evidence can be obtained to convict them, agents say.

Narcotic officials agree the trafficking in Southeast Asia has not been hurt or even slowed by law-enforcement efforts. Some believe, however, recent large seizures are a promising start to a widened drive. Progress Doubtful It seems doubtful any progress is being made in the most vital country of all Burma. About 70 per cent of the xvorld's illicit opium is grown in the "Golden Triangle," a border region of Burma, Laos and Thailand. It is so nicknamed for its shape on a map and the money flowing into it from the opium traffic.

Most of the opium production from the "Golden Triangle" comes from the Burmese part, which is outside the domain of tile government. Tribesmen in the area live off the drug trade, and the govern- ment is reluctant to move against them because it sometimes uses them against Communist guerrillas. The United States does not supply aid to Burma, and its influence is slight. Opium Capital At the heart of the traffic is the small Burmese border town of Tachilek on the banks of the Mac Sai River, which often is called "the opium capital of the world." "My biggest problem with heroin States going into, the United is Hong Kong," says Mike Picini, the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs regional controller based in the Philippines. "A noteworthy amount is involved.

Some of it is refined in Hong Kong, and some heroin comes into Hong; Kong already manufactured and goes out again to the United States. "There has been a noticeable increase in the number of ethnic Chinese from all Southeast Asia smuggling heroin into the United States in little more than a year," Picini adds. Hong Kong's highly regarded Senior Inspector George Dunning, head of the colony's narcotics bureaus, believes the couriers carrying heroin to the United States are "initiated more by the recipients than by Noting several recent arrests of Chinese in the United States, Dunning said: "Traditionally, a number of Chinese seamen have always smuggled what they couid get to where they could get a better price for it, and the same law applies to DD (dangerous drugs). Unable To Return "But, with the changed political situation, those Chinese have been unable to return eventually to their homeland and have stayed on in the communities where there now are Chinese. "Those second-and third-gen- eration Chinese have contacts ing fields of opium outside the communities- and provide -an outlet to the heroin market.

This local contact is greater now than ever before, and I think this is going be most important Dunning. President Nixon, in hopes of throttling the heroin supply before it reaches the United States, has ordered American off icials" overseas to encourage Asian governments to step up their fight against narcotics trafficking and addiction. And the U.S. government is helping Asian governments build up their manpower and is assisting in the crackdown. Must Destroy Source Wiping out the opium at its source is the key to success, officials say.

This means destroy- the "Golden Triangle" and areas and replacing opium with other But many of the hill peppje who grow the opium are not en- thusastic about abandoning their opium harvest in.favor'of another crop which' might not bring them as Bandits and roam the mountains, and CteSy also depend on-the trafficking for their money. Agents report that, fairiy recently, tons of heroin has been stockpiled in Burma. One- possible reason for this accumulation is that a major market has been lost-with the wiQi- drawal of most American troops from South Vietnam. Another reason, they sap, may be the expanding production. IN NEW YORK WITH EARL WILSON: Michael Caine Plans To Marry The Girl There arc many golfers who plar a fair game if you watch them Too often the weather bureau is a nonprofit agency Sign in a restaurant: "Please Diet in From Eddie Schwartz: "Ban all four-letter words, starting with Says the cynic, "If can't say something good about somebody-- get a job with Ralph Someone summed up the recent history of art films: "Lower necklines, higher prices." MICHAEL CAINE'S going to marry the girl.

"Just as soon as I find the time." the British picture star said, leaning angularly across a table in a 5th Av. hotel bar, an hour after he'd arrived from London with the bride-to-be, Shakira Baksh, a former Miss Guyana, who's expecting his baby in June. "Oh, yes, it'll be LONG before the baby's bom," he nodded, sipping a cam- parj and soda. "Young people today don't care, but society requires marriage. Otherwise there are those awkward little things that come tip.

"It'd be crummy not to marry the girl who's carrying your baby," continued Michael, who's 39. "She's 24. I would say." he "It'll be a already have a daughter, who's I don't think I should lumber with my disbeliefs. If he wants to buck society, let him do it. I can't stick it on an unborn kid.

I think it's necessary to be married and I wili be shortly." NICE HONESTY, Michael confessed that a London paper "found out, so we tried to act like we announced it." Shakira's a pure Indian Indian from Guyana, formerly British Guiana, between Brazil and Argentine. "She's a very dark striking girl. I've been with her a year and a half. She'finished 3d in the Miss World contest in London. I often wonder what the first two were like!" Where was she? "She just took the car off to see her mother ivho works in Rockefeller Center.

She emigrated to New York, I guess. I'll probably find out." Publicizing the film "Sleuth" which he did with Sir Laurence Olivier has kept him too busy 1o get married "it's just a social thing, anyway, and when I get an hour or two free, we'll do it." Michael (hardly anybody ever calls him Mike and he says "I'm too tail for will take his expectant intended to Holly- ivoal "I'm very careful what I say in Hollywood," he said. "I never ask anybody bow his wife is and I never ask anybody if he's working." WE UNDERSTAND Nixon's goin- to remove Kissinger from foreign relations to make him Sec'y of State Joe DiMaggio's looking so youthful and handsome. What (and who) is his secret? Carlo Ponti rushed back to Rome for Sophia Loren's Caesarian baby Jan. (wants a girl) Carle Boothe Luce'll come from Honolulu for opening- of "The Women's in February Red Buttons celebrated his father Michael Chwatt's 90th birthday Sexy Don Stewart, the Mike Bauer'of the CBS "Guiding Light" soap opera, crashed the big time as a singer Jan.

2. opening at the Rainbow- Grill with comedian Dick Brooks. Stewart, who comes from Norfolk, got his start as a farm boy singing to the livestock. "THEY liked me," he insists. THE JET SET'S becoming the Debt Set or Wet Set Yves Montand cabled from Paris wanting the Ben Vereen role in the French "Pippin" Producer Larry Kasha tempted Basheyba with the understudy-to-Lainie Kazan role in "See Saw," but she'll work clubs Composer Cathy Lynn's chums are boosting for ber song "Lonely Am from the Harlan Gary Coe film "Toys Are Not For Children" for an Oscar nommo Dic-k Conhol of Gallagher's raised 52500 for the book scholarship fund at Falls River, Sacred Heart Academy (named in honor of his mother Katherine Croamer Conlon).

Secret Stuff: One faction of a new show wants to drop the director didn't need headache to start with King'll do two ABC TV specials from Las Vegas La Fonda del Sol restaurant (in Time-Life has closed with a sign on the door- saying "a new food service facility will open here in a few weeks" Rich playwright Joe Stein's doing some rewrites on Debbie Reynold's "Irene," which is a big BO success in Philly. THE SCRIPT for "The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing" calls for Burt Reynolds to show a lot more'n Cosmo did Katharine Hepburn, who turned down the lead in "Travels With My Aunt," was at the Plaza Theater (in boots, pants and zippered jacket) to see it A famous producer couid a film about his family prominent wife has a lover, and the producer doesn't care ('cause the lover is a gal). The management of the Chateau Madrid ordered flu shots for its stars. Tony Bennett sang with Duke Ellington's band at the Rainbow Grill The tide's a mkitown theater that recently showed porno films is now featuring a Walt Disney movie A world-famed entertainer had his third one with siiicone Sonny Cher, busy TV-filming, will play only a weekend at Harrah's Tahoe. TODAY'S BEST LAUGH: Shelby Friedman mentions that he finished high school in three Kennedy's and Johnson's.

WISH I'D SAID THAT: Politics is like milking a you can accomplish a. lot if vou have a little pull. REMEMBERED QUOTE: "Unhappiness is buying an expensive pair of and then learning the trouble was in the TV set" KARL'S PEARLS: A fellow said that he never forgets his anniversary, "but I save a lot of money by pretending that I do." Restaurateur Vincent Sardi thanked playwright Neil Simon for his "Christmas the hit comedy "Sunshine Boys" near the restaurant; it boosted business. "You're welcome." said Simon. didn't know what else to get you." THE ART of SAVINGS with First Federal THERE OUGHTA BE A LAW MrruFF muTAWE ovi THE BIGGEST BEAST IMTHENEIGHBORHOOD- By SHORTEN AND WHIPPLE It's THE.

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