The Topeka state journal., 1921-03-22
New York Wages War on Big
International Conspiracy.
Thousand Arrests Made-Lead-
ers Are Identified.
STEAMER HEADS IMPLICATED
Business Men of Japan, Ger
many and England in 1t.
Tho Ring Really Broken, Big
Battle Just Started.

New York, March 22.-Opening of
a fight to curb the traffic OF an in
ternational drug ring said to be headed
by business men of Germany. Japan
and England, was announced here to-
day by DR.. Carleton Simon, special
deputy police commissioner.
Declaring high ranking officers of
steamships plying between New York
and Mediterranean and South Ameri-
can ports have been transporting
drugs to this country, DR.. simon said
many raids are planned and develop
ments of a startling nature expected.
Have Found Leaders.
eh0 crews of six steamships now
aAe under surveillance he added. The
deputy police commissioner said the
leaders of the King had been identified
but that action against them was I'M
possible as the laws of their countries
do not prohibit trafficking in mar
coties.
Drugs manufactured in Germany, it
~ sharged. have been carried from
means OF underground passageways
which have been discovered. Thru
Switzerland these drugs, Simon as
serted. have been transported TO
America, China, japan and Italy.
In the anti-narcotAc drive here more
than 900 arrests have been made and
millions of dollars worth of drugs
seized. AItho the irpegal drug trade
has been broken Doctor Simon assert
ed the work of his bureau is not only
TO continue here but is to be en-
Iarged to meet the problems IN other
big cities in America and abroad.
BY means of an International bu-
reau of. criminal records now pelng
established. all data concerning drug
crooks are to be ready for cities where
'1eads'' pointing to New York might
be uncovered, the commissioner said.
Recently, he added. Antwerp police
had requested information concerning
an alleged leader of the jnternational
ring 1t was shown by means of in
formation furnished by New York that
the man had police records in London.
Paris. Brussels and New Orleans and
had served prison sentences at variou
places aggregating twenty years.
'TThe Fcar~ Is Spread
1--WE made more arrests sthese past
four months than in any tyventy-fou1-
months heretofore" said Doctor
Simon, who was selected to direct the
drive because of his medical training.
Every wing of the metropolitan police
department was co-ordinated, WORK
ing in conjunction with the federal
agents. In consequence. ~the fear"
has been spread thru the army Of
vendors.
Before he assumed his job Doctor
Simon said traffic in drugs in New
York had reached an amazing stage.
His first move was to seek to clean up
New York then aid in solving the drug
vending problem in other cities-a re-
sultant evil of the situation here.
Squads of special men were spread
to all parts of the greater city, expert
men being picked to patrol the lower
East side where vendors were using
school children as go-betweens' to
supply addicts.
Watched All Ships.
Constant watch was kept on incom-
ing ships where alleged smugglers
were resorting to all manner of tricks
to sneak" the narcotics into this
country. Arrests of persons on the
docks revealed drugs hidden in arti-
ficial arms and limbs; in sausages and
Clothing. Once the anti narcotic
forces were working Systematically
and arrests became frequent the
situation soon gave evidence of being
cleaned up.
The almost daily raids i'll the city
reached climax recently in Brooklyn
when agents entered an apartment,
arrested several persons and seized
drugs worth thousands of dollars. The
great majority arrested were curb
stone" venders