The Washington times., 1922-11-03
BUSINESS
HEAVILY !
FINANCED
Traffic Now Handled BY
Wealthy Men and Is Crow
ing Weekly.
by WILLIAM &. SHEPHERD.
WelI-Enown Magazine Writer.
UopyriEht. isss. by, Cosmopolitan

News SeryiceD
Only l75 men are at work for
the Federal Government in its ef-
fort to prevent the growth of the
drug traffic in the United States.
And there is only $750,OOO to be
spent for this purpose this year.
1t is true that these l75 drug
sleuths are all civil service men.
while the l400 "booze policemen
on the Federal forces are political
appointees, but even the advan-
tagcs of having civil service stan
does not enable the narcotic divi-
sion Of the prohibition staff to
cope with the wildfire growth of
the drug habit in the land.
Illegal Sale Growing.
Within the past year, since this
reporter last investigated the druE
situation in America. there have
come changes that are appalling in
their significance and that indicate,
beyond a doubt. that the illegal sale
Of drugs is mounting with rapidity
almost equal to the Increase III
liquor law violations.
One wear ago the average narcotic
dealer was little fellow, with small
money invested in his enterprise In
such cities as New York. Chicago
aud San Francisco, at that time, he
was considered big dealer il his
deals ran into the hundreds of dol
lars. A cigar box could contain his
store of supplies and his headquar-
tefs, as a rule. were tenement or
q basement-any dark corner OF a
town.
He got his drugs then. AS rule,
from sailors, il his town was on one
OF the oceans or along the Great
Lakes, or from smugglers who car
ried il in small quantities across the
Mexican border. lie dealt directly
with the smuggler at that time.
The situation and the system itself
have changed almost entirely since
then. Deals today run into the hun
dreds of thousands Of dollars.
Capital Enters Traffic.
big money has been introduced
into the drug traffic as into the
liquor traffic, and the men who are
at the head Of the Illicit drug trade
in any district are too high up
today to deal with the little man who
There are intermediate distributors
of the drugs today, and in New York
recently the narcotic squad have dis
covered street men who were no
longer working on their own, but
were paid salaries and commissions
by larger distributors.
The definition of a big man in
the drug traffic year or so ago was
q man who could put up 81 900 ball
and then afford to run away. The
definition today is far different.
This is the measure, in the under.
world. of "big man" in the drug
business today
He must be able to put up
$4,000 bail, if necessary. lie must
he able to pay his lawyer half thai
much money He must he able TO
appeal his case and TO double his
bail money, if necessary, during
the delay. He must have $4,000
or $4,000 handy for various pur.
poses. during his encounter with
the law, and, if he sees that his
case is against him, he must have
Influence" enough III political cir.
cles to he able TO plead guilty and
get off with q sentence OF a year
or less.
This exact easurement Of the
"big man hasn't been dreamed
out in the underworld. In Phila.
delphia, in New York. in Chicago.
and in several other cities recently.
convicted drug dealers have been
as potent. financially, as the big
man" l have described. Such
dealer may have as much as a
quarter of million dollars in
vested in drugs.
Uncle Sans entire narcotic crew