Five Smugglers Imprisoned On Monday at the Mixed Court before the British Assessor, Mr. Grant Jones and Magistrate Kwan, Five Chinese were sentenced two years imprisonment each, upon a charge of smuggling opium to the value of $40,000 from Singapore on board the str. Banda.
Mr. R. F. C. Master appeared for the prosecution on behalf of the Customs and the case was brought in by Inspr. Mellows.
Evidence concerning the search made on board the Banda on_ the 18th instant was given by Mr. Nash, boat officer, and Mr. Stewart, tidewaiter. The opium weighed 488lb, and was extracted from a hiding place between the engine room and the cabin. The cabin was occupied by three boys, a cook and a steward, and the latter had sin-e bolted.
Capt. Thomas I. Meadows, of. the str. Banda, said that one of the men stated that the opium be longed to the chief steward, and that when the Customs' men came aboard the steward became afraid and handed the boy the keys, saying that he must run away.
The defendants all persisted that they knew nothing of the opium.
The Assessor observed it was impossible to hide such a large quantity of opium in the boys' room without their knowing it.
Mr. Master pointed out that even after the steward had said that he must run away the defendants never reported the incident.
Sentence was passed as stated above, and the Court ordered that the opium be confiscated.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.