Operation Clinker: Heroin Smuggling

By Rod Mason

‘Operation Clinker’ was the operational name given to this true account told from the perspective of the principal undercover agent, an inspector in Royal Hong Kong Police Narcotics Bureau, in what transpired to be a record attempt to export heroin from Hong Kong to Australia in 1988.
The author was recruited to form part of the crew for a voyage from Hong Kong to Australia. Covert surveillance observed the loading of a heavy bag aboard and the yacht set sail. Out of sight of any land-based observers, the undercover agents ‘mutinied’ and overpowered the targets to take control and search the yacht, seizing 43.5kg of pure heroin.
The arrested targets turned Queen’s evidence in exchange for a potential reduction in sentence upon conviction. Flown to Sydney with a consignment of ‘fake’ heroin, they delivered to the distribution syndicate. Australian Federal Police surveillance were able to monitor the handover and identify personalities involved.
International joint police raids took place in Hong Kong and Sydney, leading to the arrest of the entire syndicate from triad supply to shipping crew and distribution.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Nov 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9781528980937

Rod Mason

Born in Hong Kong, the author attended a Scottish boarding school and then Glasgow Nautical College, where he secured qualification as a navigator. He became an inspector in the Royal Hong Kong Police in 1983 and soon moved to the Narcotics Bureau, conducting several undercover operations and securing four commendations before promotion to chief inspector. In 1997, he took over Kowloon West ‘999’ emergency response as superintendent, then became a marine divisional commander followed by anti-smuggling task force commanding high-speed offshore interceptors. Retired in 2016 after 32 years of distinguished service, he is divorced with four kids, including triplets, and lives in Central Scotland.

Book preview

Reports

About the Author

Born in Hong Kong, the author attended a Scottish boarding school and then Glasgow Nautical College, where he secured qualification as a navigator. He became an inspector in the Royal Hong Kong Police in 1983 and soon moved to the Narcotics Bureau, conducting several undercover operations and securing four commendations before promotion to chief inspector. In 1997, he took over Kowloon West ‘999’ emergency response as superintendent, then became a marine divisional commander followed by anti-smuggling task force commanding high-speed offshore interceptors. Retired in 2016 after 32 years of distinguished service, he is divorced with four kids, including triplets, and lives in Central Scotland.

Dedication

Dedicated to Kiki, Robbie, Jamie and Jenny, whom I can never thank enough for all the smiles.

Copyright Information ©

Rod Mason (2020)

The right of Rod Mason to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

The story, experiences, and words are the author’s alone.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781528980920 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781528980937 (ePub e book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published (2020)

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd

25 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5LQ

Acknowledgement

My sincere thanks to Pamela Bell for all her artistic contribution and never-ending encouragement.

‘Operation Clinker’ happened in 1988, so the details are no longer classified. This narrative is based upon my observations, records made in my operational diary, statement for the prosecution prepared once the operation concluded and my memory. Some of the names have been changed to protect the innocent, and some of the facts may have been eroded by time, but the story is true to the best of my knowledge and belief. It is representative of the esprit de corps and genuine endeavour of the right people to do the right thing, for the right reasons.

Rod Mason

Principal Undercover Agent

‘Operation Clinker’

Chapter 1

Heroin

On 11th November, 1988, ‘Asiaweek’, a Time Inc. publication in Hong Kong, published an article titled ‘The Chinese Link’ detailing the departure of the yacht ‘Oui’ from Hong Kong destined for Sydney, Australia. Onboard 43 Kilograms of pure Thai heroin had been concealed in the freshwater tanks. Undercover police officers had managed to be selected as crew for the journey. The article went on to state that the undercover agents overpowered the smugglers off Po Toi Island within Hong Kong waters and were intercepted by the Marine Police. Those arrested were:

… ‘persuaded’ to continue… this time by air, and make their delivery… Hong Kong and Sydney Police arrested 30 ethnic Asians in the largest joint Hong Kong – Australia narcotics ‘sting’ ever.

The Asiaweek article from which the above quote was extracted, reported that according to US Federal Authorities, in a change of modus operandi, the old ‘French Connection’ had been replaced by the new ‘Chinese Connection’. The French connection had related to the shipment of opium produced from Turkish poppies from Marseilles on to New York – made famous in William Friedkin’s classic film of that name. Based on a true story, starring Gene Hackman as Detective Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle, a driven New York cop who wears a ‘pork pie’ hat that makes him look like a jazz musician, Popeye’s intuitive street sense allows him to suss out what is going on behind the scenes in a huge heroin import to New York City.

The new ‘Chinese Connection’ updates both the source and ethnic background of those involved. High-grade heroin sourced in the Golden Triangle, the area where the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar (formerly Burma) meet, is conveyed overland through Yunnan, Guangxi and Guangdong provinces in southern China, to reach Hong Kong to utilise international transportation links to tranship to the streets of New York or Sydney.

Figure 1: Golden Triangle heroin supply route to Hong Kong.

The relatively short distance from the Golden Triangle production area to the porous Chinese border is only about 200 kilometres and attractive from a transportation perspective. Crossing this border, which has only cursory immigration and customs controls, is relatively easy.

Once inside China, a cargo can be loaded onto pretty much any vehicle and conveyed to Guangdong province to face Hong Kong’s far more advanced cargo checking systems. A wide variety of differing methods are employed to manage this last critical part of the journey. These include concealment amongst legitimate cargo in cross border road transportation; conventional maritime transhipment; concealment on the bodies of human ‘Mules’; and maritime smuggling using high powered, illegal speedboats, to attempt to evade detection.

In 1996, the Embassy of the USA in Rangoon, Myanmar, released a ‘Country Commercial Guide’, which stated,

"Exports of opiates alone appear to be worth about as much as all legal exports."

By the end of 1987, ethnic Chinese were said to control 70% of New York’s heroin trade. In the United States, it was estimated that about 1.6% of the population have used heroin at some point in time. The same year, an Australian Federal Police spokesman stated that he believed that 90% of all heroin imported to Australia between 1982 and 1988 had been organised by ethnic Chinese syndicates. He reported that from 1981 to 1987 they had seized more than 100kg of the drug – approximately 16kg per annum.

When people die from a ‘recreational’ drug overdose, the drug is usually an opioid. Heroin, also known as diamorphine, is an opioid most commonly used for its euphoric effects. As stated, it is produced from the opium poppy, a flower originally found in parts of Asia and grown and processed in many places, including the Golden Triangle, which has, since the 1950s been one of the most extensive opium-producing areas of Asia and the world.

According to the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the poppy is best grown in dry, warm climates, as too much moisture can affect the chemical content of the sap, making a lower quality opium, from which heroin is made. The Asian climate is considered most suitable, not only for the poppy growth, but also with respect to the refining process. It is for this reason that production occurs throughout much of Central Asia and drier regions of the Middle East. Poppies, however, are also grown in Colombia and Mexico, but the majority of the world’s heroin was produced in the Golden Triangle until the early 21st century, when Afghanistan took over and became the largest source of supply.

Improvements in the chemical process to refine raw opium into heroin and the enormous profits achievable when sold at street level, continuously combine to ensure that production remains significantly profitable. Heroin, typically a white or brown powder, is usually injected intravenously commonly known as ‘shooting up’, or ‘mainlining’, which is believed to have two to three times the effect of a similar dose of morphine.

Preparation of heroin for injection utilising a syringe and a hypodermic needle, requires the powder to be dissolved in water and mixed with an acid (most commonly, citric acid powder or lemon juice) and heated to make a solution suitable for injecting. Heroin in hydrochloride salt form, requires just water (and no heat) to dissolve. Users tend to initially inject into the easily accessible arm veins, but these veins collapse over time as a consequence of excessive puncture wounds, so users are forced to resort to more dangerous areas of the body, such as the femoral vein in the groin. A choice such as this, can often develop deep vein thrombosis as a complication.

The dose of heroin used for recreational purposes is dependent on the user’s requirements including frequency and level of addiction. A first-time user may be satisfied by a dose of between 5 and 20 mg, while an established addict may want and require several hundred mg per day to satisfy their ‘habit’. As with the injection of any drug, if a group of users share a syringe and needle, in the absence of any sterilisation procedures, blood-borne diseases, such as HIV, AIDS or hepatitis, can be transmitted.

Heroin powder can also be smoked and inhaled – in Hong Kong this style known as ‘Chasing the Dragon’ is extremely popular. The abuser generally holds a piece of tin foil containing heroin powder over a candle moving it slowly back and forth to heat the heroin, until smoke is produced. He has a matchbox sleeve in his mouth to prevent his lips from sealing and inhales the smoke chasing it as it rises. The simplicity of the required equipment allowed this style of inhalation long before hypodermic needles became available.

Figure 2: Tinfoil with traces of heroin, tissue & candle for use

Chasing the Dragon found inside the Kowloon Walled City

The onset of euphoria after consuming heroin by injecting, inhaling or ingesting is usually rapid and lasts for several hours. It is also possible to snort heroin powder, but this is considered to be less effective than intravenous injection or inhalation.

Common side effects of consumption may include respiratory depression (a decrease in breathing); dry mouth, drowsiness and impaired mental function. Repeated use may quickly lead to addiction. Other side effects can include abscesses, damage to heart valves, blood borne infections, constipation and pneumonia. After a history of long-term use, withdrawal symptoms can begin within even a few hours of the last use.

The process involved to turn the potent element of the poppy into the addictive drug heroin involves a number of steps and chemicals to produce a powder that is as pure as possible. Not following the process accurately, or not knowing how each step works, can result in a product that contains a number of impurities that make the drug even more dangerous for human consumption than it is in its ‘pure’ form. In addition, many forms of street heroin are ‘cut’ with other substances to dilute the product and therefore increase the quantity available to earn money for the distributers.

In 1874, C. R. Alder Wright is believed to have first produced heroin from morphine, a natural product of the opium poppy, by accident after boiling morphine together with acetic anhydride, a common chemical, for several hours. The resultant substance was further refined by a German company and introduced to the market under the brand name of ‘Heroin’.

Originally, the German product was manufactured as a cough suppressant, in much the same way as codeine is used today; it was reputed to ease the discomfort experienced by patients suffering from tuberculosis.

Once the highly addictive nature of heroin was recognised, it was assessed to be far more addictive than medically used morphine, and as a consequence legal controls on manufacture and use were introduced.

At source, in opium-producing fields, the flowers of the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, are grown from seed until the petals fall away from the small, egg-shaped seedpods. The pods are then harvested for opium extraction and processing. The pods are split open using a special knife to enable the sap, a thick, gum-like substance, to ooze out of the pod to be scraped off the surface of the pod with a spatula. The sap free pod is collected and dried to allow the seeds to be removed and gathered for planting in the next season.

The extracted sap is pressed into a brick-shaped form and wrapped in cloth or leaves to be sold to a dealer and sent through the black market to a heroin-processing facility. Many of these facilities are now close to growing fields, because the raw sap is harder to transport and smuggle than the morphine base it produces. This makes any chemist with experience in production, a very valuable asset in the process to manufacture heroin.

To separate the morphine from the other elements of opium, the gum-like sap is mixed into boiling water with lime (calcium oxide, made from limestone). This separates the morphine, which floats to the top of the water in a white band, from the organic waste of the opium gum, which sinks to the bottom. The mixture is left to enable complete separation of the morphine from the waste. The morphine can then be skimmed from the top, and the waste is disposed of. In some processing methods the morphine is removed from the mixture almost immediately, which can result in a higher level of impurity of the final product.

The white raw morphine goes through a few more steps to be made into morphine base. Raw morphine is boiled with ammonia and filtered, then boiled again until it is reduced to a brown paste. This paste is then dried into bricks of morphine base reducing the bulk weight by about 80 to 90%. It is the consistency of clay and over history has been smoked, allowing the smoker to get a morphine ‘high’, but also used medically as a pain suppressant.

The complex process of creating heroin from morphine base involves multiple chemicals that, through mixing, boiling, and separating over a number of steps are used to further purify and acetylate the morphine base. The chemicals included in the process are: Acetic anhydride, chloroform, sodium carbonate, alcohol, ether and hydrochloric acid.

Some of these chemicals, such as ether and hydrochloric acid, can interact to cause an explosive reaction. As a result, the process is considered to be extremely dangerous. These chemicals can also be extremely dangerous if ingested in the human body. For this reason, attempts to produce heroin ‘at home’ can often result in a poisonous solution. The final result of the process of mixing morphine base with acetic anhydride and refining it, is the soft, generally white powder, recognised as heroin.

Refined heroin is sent to distributors to be sold on to users on the illicit market. Distributors, upon receipt of the pure product, often mix or ‘cut’ the heroin with other substances so they can increase the quantity to make more money from a smaller quantity of pure heroin. Some of the substances that may be mixed with heroin include: Sugar (sucrose), caffeine, flour, powdered milk, quinine, starch, fentanyl and other unknown powder-based substances.

According to folklore, a wide range of ‘nasty’ substances, such as Warfarin (rat poison), have also been ‘cut’ in. Some of these additives can make the heroin even more dangerous; for example, fentanyl is another type of opiate that can increase the potency and lead to an overdose. Acetaminophen, can lead to overdose by enhancing absorption of the heroin.

The goal of those who make, refine, and distribute heroin is to make money. They seek to sell the least amount of product, for the highest price, which is why ‘cutting’ is an attractive proposition to distributors and dealers. Dealers normally, however, try to ensure that there is enough heroin in the mixture to entice an individual to develop and maintain an addiction. This produces returning customers, contributing to a steady demand that results in continued sales and therefore increased profits.

As opium production spread, variations in these steps arose. Because methods vary, and sources are often unknown, a buyer can never be quite sure of the purity or safety of the drugs purchased. It is for this reason that police officers often scoff at TV cop shows or films which depict a detective ‘tasting’ heroin to establish that it is, as suspected, heroin. This simply never happens for any number of safety risk reasons. Young police officers under training are warned never to do this, despite what they may have seen on TV or in the movies, as it is simply too dangerous.

Chapter 2

Hong Kong Historical Drug Haven

Hong Kong’s strategic geographical location with hundreds of miles of coastline that are impossible to monitor continuously, combined with its deep and sheltered harbour, and the fact that it is a well-established, modern international ‘Western influenced’ transportation hub, make it an ideal location for trade between China, Southeast Asia and the rest of the world. It is therefore an ideal location for export of illicit,