Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1923-05-24
EXPERIENCE OF A
NARCOTIC OFETCER

exposing the innermost workings of
a business striking at the roots of
American Ideals and which reached
it's ~tenacles into Wildwood last
summer.
Trade Lingo and Practices
Dope is brought to the American
Underworld through many channels,
and it is sold thence chiefly by Ital-
ians, but the dealers who direct the
selling are almost without exception
Jews. Dope is virtually a jewish
Italian monopoly. In the city of Phil
adelphia, north of Market Street from
the Delaware River to Paramount
Park the Dope traffic is controlled by
the Jews. The headquarters of the
Dope Peddlers are around the vicinity
of Sth and Vine Streets where they
have their high powered Automobiles
standing ready to make a quick deliv-
cry of the addicts favorite brand of
drug, or a large wholesale sale of
ounces or pounds to the smaller deal
ers who come into Philadelphia from
outside small cities and towns, such
as Allentown. Reading, Chester and
others.
There are two districts that control
the drug trade. The boundary north
of Market Street is called the North
Side" and is controlled by the Jews.
Then there is the district known as
the South Side" which takes in all
south of Market Street. This district
is controlled by the Italians and their
headquarters for business is around
Sth and Christian Streets. The heart
of what is known as Little Italy"
Before a man or woman addict a
make a purchase from the big Dope
peddlers, he must have some we'll
known underworld character intro
duce him to the Wholesaler. After
this is done there is generally some
nick name by which the wholesalers
will know him when they make an APP
pointment by telephone. The petty
peddlers who come from small cities
call up the dealer. The dealers will
then tell the prospective customer to
meet him at a given time at a certain
corner. The peddler will then take
the customers order for what ever
kind of drugs he wishes to buy. Then
he will tell the customer to meet him
at some street corner in a section
some distance away. The dealer will
never meet a customer twice in the
same place, so you can easily see how
hard it is to catch a dope peddler
with the goods.
The reason for this is that a large
peddler will never let any one know
where he keeps his supply-or what is
termed in the dope traffic as plant.
When the peddler goes to his "plant"
and gets the "Stuff," which is the term
for Dope, he will bring another man
along with him, who acts as lookout
while the dealer is driving the car, and
before the peddler will meet the Gus
toner at the arranged place to hand
him the drug he may have his lieu
tenant get out of the automobile with
the dope and walk toward the corner.
The dealer will then go around the
block and give his man time to get
close by the customer, after which
the dealer will drive up and talk to
the customer and satisfying himself
there is no Federal Narcotic men or
Police officers around. Directing the
customer to wait a few minutes until
he returns he drives off. The lieu
tenant now hands the package to the
addict or purchasing small dealer.
Another method is to have the lieu
tenant walk down the street to anoth-
er corner to give the dealer an oppor-
tunity to pick them both up and drive
off thus throwing off suspicion and
drug officers who might be on the
lookout.
By this it can be readily seen how
difficult is the task of the narcotic
agents to determine just when the
dope is on the person of the dealer
and oft times the officers close in on
the dealer and the customer only to
find the lieutenant has the goods and
is nowhere in sight.
Oft times an addict or small ped
dler will be caught in the tolls and to
save himself a Jail term will "squeaI'
or peach" on the dealer from whom
he gets his supply. 1t is against these
the larger dealers are ever on guard.
The Underworld has it's w lingo
and trade names, just like any other
business
Herein is known as H.
Cocaine is known as c.
Morphine is known as M.
The large dealers sell the Dope in
pound packages, ounce bottles, etc.
and the Wholesale dealers get from
$50 to SIS per ounce for Cocaine, $40
to $50 per ounce for Morphine and $50
to SIS for Heron.
The small peddlers will take one
ounce of Herein which they pay $50
to SIS for and a one-pound package