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The central collecting point for the majority of this opium is at a point where the borders of Thailand, Laos, and Burma meet. A large proportion of the opium is designated for Southeast Asian opium addicts. The remainder is either exported outside of Southeast Asia or is refined into morphine base, the basic ingredient of heroin, or heroin itself in laboratories located in the Burmese-Laotian-Thailand border area, in Vientiane, Laos, in Bangkok, Thailand, and at other points along the Mekong. The heroin labs manufacture both No. 3 purple smoking heroin, which is used by Asian addicts, and No. 4 white heroin, which is produced primarily for the U.S. market and for U.S. troops in South Vietnam.

The main flow of No. 4 heroin to U.S. troops in South Vietnam is through Laos and Thailand. In addition, large quantities of opium and morphine base are smuggled into Hong Kong, where it is both consumed locally and refined into No. 4 heroin for the U.S. market.1 U.S. narcotics experts regard Hong Kong of increasing importance as a source of the heroin being smuggled to the United States from the Far East. Current estimates are that at least 10 percent of the heroin entering the United States comes from the Far East and that the percentage is growing. There is also evidence that some of the No. 4 heroin appearing in Saigon also has its source in Hong Kong.

A Chinese traveler from Hong Kong was arrested at Ton Son Nhut in April carrying 3.5 kilos of heroin. This could be the beginning of a trend. When the heroin dealers in Hong Kong realize that a lucrative market exists among the Americans in South Vietnam, they will undoubtedly attempt to get into the market.

There has recently been an increase in the amount of No. 4 eroin smuggled directly from Thailand to the United States. arcotics experts attribute the increase primarily to the expanding tivity of a number of ex-servicemen and U.S. nationals who have ved in Southeast Asia and have set up smuggling operations in ailand.

1 certain amount of heroin is also produced from opium poppies wn in Mexico. It is estimated that Mexico accounts for about 15 per of the heroin which is smuggled into the United States. There is vidence available to suggest that the Chinese Communists are acy engaged in the illegal international traffic in opium or its Fatives.

e major sources and flow of illicit opium is shown in figure 1. s from the production, processing, and sale of illegal opium of the fundamental facts mitigating against solution of the problem in both the United States and abroad is the tremenofit involved. From the prices paid to the poppy grower to the

and morphine base are smuggled into Hong Kong primarily in Thai fishing s processed into heroin in four or five clandestine laboratories. The authorities ong have a difficult time intercepting shipments from Thailand. The Thai fishing o the opium into Chinese Communist waters where it is picked up by one of the ks that ply the waters around Hong Kong. The job of policing and seizing is ossible. As in the case of Turkey, once the poppy is cut and the opium introillegal channels, the battle to prevent the end product from falling into the - addict is lost.

retail price for pure heroin sold in New York, there is a $219,975 dollar mark-up as shown in the following table:

DEVELOPMENT OF RETAIL PRICE OF HEROIN IN THE UNITED STATES, 1969

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1 When raw opium is converted to morphine and heroin the volume is reduced by a ratio of 10 to 1.

Because of the tremendous profits that are realized as a result of the illegal traffic in narcotics, there is always the possibility that governmental authorities and police at all levels "can be bought." Above all, some way must be found to take the profit out of heroin smuggling.

THE SITUATION IN FRANCE AND ITALY

Heroin production in France

FRANCE

Heroin is produced in illegal laboratories primarily in the Marseilles area although some may also be produced in Paris and Le Havre. The principal area is Marseilles because of the port facilities and the large criminal element located there. Marseilles is also closer to the source of supply, Turkey, than either Paris or Le Harve, although there is evidence that increasing amounts of morphine base are being smuggled into West Germany by Turkish nationals employed in that country. If this trend continues, other areas of Europe could be used to produce heroin. This will be particularly true if current efforts to close down the illicit laboratories in Marseilles prove successful.

It has been estimated that 80 percent of the heroin entering the United States originates in Turkish poppy fields and is processed in France. French authorities question this estimate. From the discussion which the study group has had with authorities in France, Turkey and the United States, this estimate is undoubtedly high. It is fair to say, however, that the bulk of the heroin entering the United States does originate in Turkish poppy fields and is processed in France. According to the experts, French heroin is among the best grade made due to the expertise of the French chemists who process the morphine into heroin. By the time it reaches the addict in the United States, it has been reduced to 4 to 6 percent purity.

The Marseilles heroin operation

Most of the illegal heroin producing laboratories are located on the southern coast of France, between Nice and Marseilles, and possibly in Corsica.

These laboratories are not large and a number are believed to be mobile. They do not operate continuously as it does not take long to process a shipment of morphine base into heroin. According to the best stimates, there are probably only 5 to 10 laboratories operating at ny one time.

The poppy is grown in Turkey and the opium smuggled to Mar

illes by sea, air, and overland. Once it arrives in Marseilles it is cked up by the purchaser and turned over to a chemist for cessing.

The chemist usually operates his own laboratory, frequently on a -lance basis. There is no one central organization commanding the re operation although cooperation among groups is not unusual. If pment to one group is seized by the police, another group will help aning it some morphine base to tide the losing group over until arrange for another shipment from Turkey.

It is estimated that there are five, and possibly ten, groups operating at any one time with up to 100 individuals employed. Each group appears to have its own courier and trafficking and purchasing operations. Over the past 10 years every narcotics case in Marseilles has involved one or more of four Corsican families: the Venturi brothers (Jean and Dominic), Marcel Francisci, Antoine Guerini and Joseph Orsini. (Orsini himself served a prison term in the United States and was deported in 1958.) There are offshoots of these four families and ad hoc groups may appear from time to time, but these four families are the heart of illegal heroin production in Marseilles. The problem is that in France, as well as in the United States, the police must have evidence upon which to base a case. The police cannot put the finger on the families or people involved. French authorities are hampered by the secret Swiss bank accounts as much as are U.S. authorities. French mechanism for control

Though France does not suffer to the same extent from heroin abuse as the United States, there is a problem developing in that country. This has been a major factor in prompting French authorities to increase their efforts to combat the availability of heroin in France. An indispensable element in this endeavor has been a growing willing ness to cooperate with the United States in its efforts to fight heroin abuse.

A French-American agreement setting up close cooperation between the agencies specializing in the fight against the illegal traffic in drugs in France and the United States was signed on February 26, 1971, by Raymond Marcellin, French Minister of the Interior, and U.S. Attorney General John M. Mitchell. Under the terms of the agreement both governments have agreed to exchange narcotics agents in order to facilitate cooperation. Very considerable credit belongs to Mr. Marcellin for assigning high priority to the anti-heroin effort.

The fight against drug abuse in France is centralized in the Office of the Chief of National Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Bureau. There are three groups which deal with narcotics matters: the Central Office, the Marseilles Service, and the Narcotics Service in Paris. In 1969 there were 40 agents assigned to narcotics duties; today there are 120 with the probability that this number will be increased shortly.

In addition, between 6,000 and 7,000 police and gendarmerie and others have been given training in narcotics control practices.

It was pointed out that under the centralized French system, numbers were not as important as emphasis.

If any information becomes available to any French authority, it will be transmitted to the Central Office, although at the present time French authorities are working largely from information provided by the United States.

The French authorities believe that the effort against drug traffick ers must be secret. In their opinion the nature of the problem is such that the less known about police methods and tactics, the better the chances are for successful results. As a result, police throughout the country sometimes work on narcotics cases without being completely

aware of all the facts surrounding the case. This approach also serves to prevent police corruption.

French police do very little undercover work. Under French law even police officials are not permitted to get involved in narcotics traffic. If they do, they are liable to criminal prosecution. In addition, if it could be shown that the evidence was provoked by police activity the case would be thrown out of court. As a consequence, the French police depend upon U.S. personnel for their information.

Difficulties in controlling illegal heroin production in France

The French police have been able to locate and close only 13 laboratories over the past 20 years. Two were closed in 1969; one in 1964. One of those closed in 1969 was located in a villa approximately 25 kilometers outside of Marseilles. Finding this one was a result of fine police work by both the French police and United States BNDD agents working closely with the police. A man suspected of being implicated in the narcotics racket was released from arrest. He went directly to the villa and was followed by the authorities. When the police raided the villa, the laboratory was in full operation.

The study mission inspected another building in the suburbs of Marseilles which had housed the illicit laboratory that was closed in 1964. It was an innocent looking building, and if the authorities had not been told by an informer that a laboratory was located in that particular building it would not have been discovered.

As a result of visiting these two locations, it became evident to us that looking for an illegal heroin-producing laboratory is like looking for a needle in a haystack. They can be set up anywhere in a short period of time and they can be moved just as quickly.

At present, the only practical method by which they can be located is through the use of informers. This takes time and money. Money must also be available to pay the informer as well as for making a purchase of the heroin from illegal sources in order to develop leads. Both French and American authorities voiced confidence that their fforts were progressing satisfactorily and that the Marseilles Service nd the Central Office were developing a force capable of effective tion in discovering and closing the illegal laboratories. There is a adily increasing spirit of aggressiveness on the part of the French thorities in their efforts to stop the illegal production of heroin in

ance.

The French authorities were also hopeful that scientific and techogical developments would greatly assist them in their investigas. For example, now in the process of development is a sensory ce which, when perfected, will "smell" illegal laboratories in ation. These devices will be mounted in helicopters which will ed by the police to patrol the area. Unfortunately, the device be in an area when a laboratory is in operation if it is to be "to the police.

icopter-borne patrols are of considerable assistance to the police hould be used. If nothing else, they can increase the sense of pressure that the narcotics manufacturer is beginning to feel nce. The authorities were emphatic in their belief that, because ench narcotics laws and police pressure, the laboratory oper

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