The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-02-06


connections with towns and cities
along the Canadian and Mexican bor-
ders.
Oil Boom Responsible.
j. A. Riley, in charge of the mar
cotic division of the detective force
of Fort Worth, Tex, is now in New
York spending every day and many
nights with commissioner Simon's men
in their hunt for the drug peddler and
his agent, the booster" Fort WORTH
with its II converging railroads, is the
center of drug ring working through
Brownsville and Ell P9so over the bor-
der into Mexico Mr.. Riley says that
there are more than 1000 addicts and
dealers in narcotics and drugs in Fort
WORTH a city of only 100000 inhab-
itants. This is due, partly, he as
serts, to the transient population,
caused by the proximity of the oil
fields.
''Fort WORTH" Mr.. Riley declared,
"is near the boom country and, like
all of the larger towns, it absorbs for
the time being the drifters and riff-raff
that always flock to a boom region.
That, I believe, is why approximately
one person in every hundred is either
a user or trafficker in drugs.
1.-THE same conditions prevail in the
other cities of Texas, and the preva-
lence of drug addiction is due to the
ease with which drugs and narcotics
are smuggled over the border. Mexico
apparently has no law forbidding their
sale. You can buy morphine, heroin
and opium in Mexico as you buy cigars
or ice cream in this country, and the
supply seems to be inexhaustible. 1t
comes to them from Germany and
other European countries and Japan,
and it even goes over from the
United States in large quantities to
be struggled back and peddled in the
streets here"
The close relation between drug ad-
diction and crime in Fort Worth bears
out the statistics compiled by Commits
sioner Simon for New York, that more
than 60 per cent of all drug addicts
are criminals; and the first effect Of
more rigid restrictions is, strangely
enough, an increase in the percentage
Of criminals among the addicts. Where
the police make the traffic difficult the
price of the dope" Immediately goes
up.
Pay Any Price.
The victim of the drug habit must |
get his shot" be the price what it |
may, and when, as happened in Fort |
Worth after the 80 days campaign,
goes from $25 an ounce to
$3.50 then the addict will take all sorts !
Of desperate chances to get the money
to buy his drug. In this connection
Commissioner Simons drew attention
to the belief in police circles that the
murder of Policeman Daniel Neville in
West Thirty-ninth street a few months
ago was the deed of drug addict.
The methods of smuggling opium
and other narcotics from Mexico are
many and ingenious. The harness of
4 mule, his ears and tail serve as
hiding places for hundreds of dollars
worth of contraband drugs. Many a
Mexican has earned in one day more
han the value of his mule in the
service of the smugglers. The Rio
5rande is so narrow in places that the
Imugglers have stretched pulley lines
lcrOSs the river and at night have sent
heir goods over the American bor-
lei, to cOnfederateS on the American
ide without crossing the line them
elves. BY comparing notes Commits
Toner Simon and Detective Riley have
ONE to believe that the Mexican drug
ing has agents working in New York
drive on the drug traffic here is fol-
owed by an increase in the number
f dealers and the quantity Of drugs in
'prt Worth.
The same conditions, the commits
Toner has found, prevail in other parts
{ the country. There appears to be
we'll defined ring working from Can
da through the northeast and New
ork city. Another ring takes in cen
-al Canada, lake cities and Kansas
ity, and between New York and Kan
as City the police are convinced that
lere is a third ring engaged in the
arcotic trade.