New-York tribune., 1921-09-27
Europe STEPPED
In Drugs, Says
Police Expert
*. Blanc,' Mysterious Agent
and Detective Who Serves
for 81 a Year, Calls Vice
Wave Worst in Century
Raids ON Border Traffic
Canoes Worth $50. 900 Are
Cached in Place Where
Marc cotics Are Seized

TX. Blanc" as he styles himself.
millionaire and narcotic drug advisor
to Scotland Yard and the New York
police department. arrived from Paris
on the Cedric and reported to Police
Headquarters yesterday. He said ali
Europe is filed with drug addiction
and more immoral than at any time
during the century.
Federal Narcotic Agents. under Di-
rector Ralph Oyler, reported wholesale
upstate drug raids and many arrests
at Troy, n. Y. in an attempt to check
operations of the wealthy Canadian
drug ring. Mr.. Oyler also told of the
finding of s50,o00 worth of canoes,
cached in place where $4,000 worth
of narcotic drugs was seized. A mar
cotic raid on the italian liner Dante
Alighieri. foot OF Franklin Street. by
customs agents yesterday, brought the
total of drugs, that has been seized
aboard her up to $4,000
'X. Blanc" Loves His Work
"X. Blanc" is sleuth because he
loves the work His salary is 81 a
year and he finances his own opera
tions as head of the European agents
for the New Police Narcotic Division.
Information he has furnished from
Europe has resulted. in practically all
big drug smuggling raids in the last
ten months.
Blanc" brought with him Yesterday
zoe rogues gallery photographs of
prominent European narcotic dealers.
which completes collection furnished
by him, and numbers 1000 separate
records. He said:
Cities IN Belgium and France are
now organizing narcotic police depart
ments patterned after that established
N New York by SPECIAL Deputy Police
commissioner DR.. Carleton Simon. The
european people seem to have gone
mad following the war. Paris is seep-
ing, steaming with narcotic drugs. They
are sold in the cafes almost as openlv
as drinks. Little girls and boys are
employed at 20 francs trip to bring
IN these drugs from street vendors.
Inc children are part of the under
world of vice, and the police paye
little thought to this condition until
1t was called to their attention. Now
they are doing all possible to curb it.
Belgium now finds addiction spread
ing like poison gas and smothering its
population. Murder, gigantic burglar
les and robberies are frequent, and
terrible condition exists, in what was
once one of the most orderly countries
i'll the world
Vice Runs Riot in Berlin
Big German manufacturers make
these drugs and any one can buy anv
quantity of them. They are used less
in Germany than in other countries.
but Germany is frightfully sisun oral.
In Berlin a condition exists that would
not be tolerated anywhere eise.. There
IS nc law prohibiting the sale of as
much narcotic drugs as the manufac-
turers can dispose of. Of course. in
Germany too, there are drug users and
the habit IS growing.
The story of the $4,000 worth OF
canoes, now held by United States
customs officials, on suspicion of their
having been smuggled from Europe.
dates back to last February Frank J.
Fitzpatrick, who was found shot dead
IN water front wash room after the
narcotic raid on the Grecian steam
ship King Alexander, was working at
that time with Oyler. who insists Fitz-
patrick was murdered and did not COM
NIT suicide as the medical examiner
reports.
At any rate, Oyler and Fitzpatrick
had been trailing Giovanni Ceppellaro,
suspected of drug vending. Ceppellaro
escaped from the officers who arrested
his nephew, a young boy. In Federal
court it was established that the boy
acted only IS his uncle's messenger,
and the lad was acquitted.
A search and seizure warrant re-
veaied what appeared to be big iron
safe in the "office" of Ceppellaro. in
Mulberry Street. The safe was found
to be made of wood, camouhaged with