Rare work on drug trafficking in Egypt in the 1930s and an important example of the authors "war on drugs": he was director of the Central Narcotics Intelligence Bureau. Thomas Wentworth Russell (1879-1954), sometimes better known as Russell Pasha, was a police officer in service of Egypt who was appalled by the increasing drug trafficking in Egypt and the large number of drug addicts in the country. He founded the Central Narcotics Intelligence Bureau (CNIB), making it his mission to rid Egypt of drugs, especially what he called "white drugs" (cocaine, morphine, heroin), but also of "black drugs" (hashish, opium). Russell was one of the most important anti-drug campaigners in Egypt in his time and after, greatly raising awareness of the rising problem. Here he describes how drugs are smuggled in large quantities from abroad to Egypt. In many chapters, he extensively describes the foreign sources of supply (discussing not only important drug barons, but also mentioning specific ships and other means of transport used to smuggle drugs), notes cases where weapons were used by traffickers, discusses people involved in the trade, traffickers and their methods of smuggling (in shoes, camel saddles, etc.), addiction and its social effects and death rates, and much more. Although 3000 copies were printed (the printers code for the job is printed on the back of the title-page: "10506-1932-3000 ex.") it is a scarce and outstanding example of Russell's anti-drug campaign, extensively describing drug trafficking in Egypt in the 1930s, being well-illustrated with photographs of drug barons, users, traffickers and methods of concealment. We have located only four other copies, but due to ambiguity between the year covered (1932) and the year of publication (1933), three further locations are uncertain.
Authors presentation copy for the English poet and dramatist John Drinkwater with an inscription by Russell on the front wrapper ("John Drinkwater | With compliments from the director | Tho Russell | 24/3/33" | [insciption in Arabic script]") and his red stamp next to the inscription.
Spine of wrapper damaged and front wrapper detached and with light water stain. A rare survival. KVK (1 copy); WorldCat 1780146 (3-6 copies).