El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-05-01

Citys
THE QUlNTRO GANG
Of Smugglers Did An Extensive And
Successful .Business.-Old Boxes
We're RefilIed With Mexican
Cigars And Sold to Retailers
Captain Blooms Good Work.
Customs officers are of the opinion
that the arrests of Saturday will result
in permanently breaking up a large,
we'll organized gang of smugglers and
causing others engaged in the same ne
farious business to go slow in their
operations Cor come time to come,
The work of the Quintro gang
had been extensive and
of considerable magnitude.
Nicholas QuintrO, arrested by j. M.
Smith at ten O'Clock Saturday night
while crossing the Santa Fe street
bridge afOot, is considered the ring
leader. He operated La Union Inter.
national cigar factory on Ell Paso
street. opposite Ketelsen & Degetau's.
Rendezvous saloon, is regarded as an
accomplice, while Jack Colderette was
simply becausessOme taken into custody
of the cOntraband cigars were found in
his possession. He runs the fruit and
cigar stand at the Link restaurant.
To 81. F. Bloom, captain of the
mounted customs inspectors, belongs
the credit for working up the case and
breaking up the gang. He became
aware about two weeks ago that Quin-
trO's factory was selling to retailers
cigars which had bsen made in Mexico
and found their way icto this country
duty free.
The first positive information of this
state of affairs WAS received when Iu-
spectorJ G Roberts purchased shandful
of cigars at the Silver King and fou I'D
that they were of Mexican manufac-
ture, although in a box containing an
American label and purpCrting t, nave
oeen packe at cigar factory number
275, of Texas. Further inves.ig gation
followed.
Captain Bloom walked into the Rem
devious one day and asked for a Nc.
Glnty club cigar: he was handed ont u
box labeled, with Alvarez's favorice
brand but cont aiming Bre vas
The systematic work of the ius 2ec.or
then followed. ContrabAnd cigars
from Quintro's factory were found a.
nearly every retailers in town. Th=y
had been invariably repacked in dis
pressed and properly stamped. They
were mostly smuggled brevas and were
put up in boxes labeled Court House
Club and 'Valiente." There were
other brands besides brevas but all
were Mexican,
The next move was to get po ,itive
information against Quin,ero, and D=l
man who had sold the cigars to the
retailers For week or longer Gum
tero was shadowed day and night and
never left his factory except with a
secret service man at his heels.
Enough was finally learned to con-
vince the officers that he was gui ty
and to lead them to believe that Dsl
warrants were sworn out Friday fJr
both, charging them with smuggling
QuinterO will also answer for retilling
cigar boxes.
A search warrant was procured for
the premises used by the cigar man
and after the arrest of Del Ara the
back door was broken open and the
place taken possession of. The pro-
prietOr and his family were absent
About 500 Mexican cigars were
found ready packed for distribution
and the household effects had all been
gathered together in trunks anu boxes
as If preparations had been made fo-
immediate flight. Inspectors Kipne
and Logan were left in charge of ths
factory to apprehend QuintrO when he
returned. They stood guard there ali
day and Messrs. Fink and Dowd took
their places at night. The officers
were almost of the opinion that the
bird had been warned and had flown
when at ten O'Clock Quintro crossao
the Santa Fe bridge from Juarez afoos
and was nsbbed by ]. M. Smith.
The work of the smugglers. Captain
Bloom says. has been going on for sew
eral months and many retail dealers
have been victimized.
The following list of the contraband
cigars seized in various parts of the
city was furnished to the HERALD this
by the custom house.
Jack Colderette so
G. Aguirre 25O
Rendezvous saloon $50
Qutntro'e factory (about) $50
a. w. Spencer SO
Total 1850
At Liberty Hall and Silver King 100
cigars each had been sold out The
empty boxes were seized 10 one case.
EnnQpa na1 mill H., ,-;-.-