The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1920-06-25
BUTTE IS CENTER
OF dope" TRADE
MORPHINE AND COCAINE VEN
DORIS TRAVELLING ON REGU-
LAR SCHEDULE
Federal Agents Say Drug Runners
Have Been Laying Narcotics Down
Selling Drug for $50; Stuff Is
Struggled in From Canada.

That Butte is one of the station
on a regular route maintained b.
drug vendors, who bring the stuff
from Canadian points and dispens,
it to hundreds of unfortunates in thu
mining city who have become addicts
was the statement of A. M. ]. Prit
chard, a special agent of the interna
revenue department, who has beer
Investigating the traffic in narcotic.
in Butte. Agent Pritchard said tina
the traffic in drugs in this city
amounts to thousands of dollars eacf
month and the addicts in the city rur
in the hundreds.
During his stay in Butte, the spe-
cial agent has secured evidence which
resulted in the filing of complaints
and the arrest of DR.. G. D. Bryant
and Wan Sing and Quong Chung
209 and 207 China alley, on fedora
charges. The homes of the Chinese
were raided and quantity of opium
together with full layouts for smok-
ing the stuff, were seized by Agent
Pritchard, assistant by Deputy Uni
ted States Marshal L. S. Croft and
Revenue Agent H. M. Dengler.
Profit Is Enormous
Tracing shipments of drugs which
are sold in Butte, we have discover
ed that narcotics are being laid down
here at cost of $14.48 an ounce, at
least that is the quotation 1 have re-
'ceived," said Special Agent Pritch-
ard, in describing the traffic. 1.-The
drugs are then put out to interme-
diaries at $50 an ounce and these
men in turn sell the stuff to fiends
at prices which vary up to $3.50 an
ounce. The latter figure is reached
when the vendor becomes too greedy
and sells magnesia and milk, with a
small quantity of drug mixed in.
''The drugs which are being ped
died in Butte come in through Sweet
Grass, Great Falls and Helena, over
a regular route which has been es-
tablished," the special agent contin-
ued. From Butte the route leads
to Boise, Idaho, and then to Salt
Lake, where a route from the South
connects. The drugs which are
brought in from the south cross the
Mexican line at Tia Juana and follow
a regular route to Salt Lake. The
ring of drug vendors travel over the
lines on regular schedules, similar to
those of travelling men, and carry
considerable quantities of the stuff
for distribution in the larger cities of
the west"
Posed as Drug Addict
Special Agent Pritchard has been
working in Butte for the last three
weeks, posing as drug addict and
frequenting the establishments where
drug vendors operate. During the
time he has worked there he has pur-
chased several hundred dollars
worth of cocaine, morphine and
opium, known in drug addict's par
lance as mud" he said. The drugs
are to be used as evidence before the |
federal court.
"All >drug fiends are friends" said |
the agent, ''and when one drug user
meets another person whom he be-
lieves to be an addict he will cheer
fully give you a line on where the I
stuff can be bought, especially If i
you have money with which to buy.
Addicts are. invariably without money
and when the craving for the stuff
becomes strong enough they will do
for a shot even to stealing
the stuff from another user"
DR.. D. G. Bryant, arrested by De-
putty United States Marshal Croft, on
a warrant sworn to by Agent Prit-
chard, was arraigned before United
States Commissioner Van Etten and
bound over to appear before the fed
eral grand jury. Bonds were fixed
by the commissioner in the sum of
$1,000, which we're furnished and
the physician secured his liberty. He
Ia charged with violation OF the Har-
rison drug act.