The Washington times., 1924-02-20
PANAMA Police.
ROUT DOPE
VENDORS
Traffic That Once Menaced
Americans and Soldiers
About Stamped Out.
By JAMES L. KILGALLEN,
International News Service.

InCefnotlOnoA News Service.
PANAMA CANAL ZONE, Feb. 20.
1.-THE dope vendors of Panama and
the canal zone are whipped"
This statement was made to. In
ternational News Service by Col.
Albert r. Lamb, inspector general
of police Of the Republic Of Panama,
in an interview in which he pointed
out that the once serious dope"
traffic in the canal zone is slowly
but surely being stamped out. Col.
Lamb is in charge Of the 6S5 police
officers in the Republic, 100 Of whom
are mounted.
The Panama police are an attrac-
tive lot. They are hthe.looking,
light brown in complexion and wear
snappy khaki uniforms. Most of
them appeared to be between twen-
ty-five and thirty years old.
1--WE have been bearing down hard
on the vendors of DOPE" said Col.
Lamb. The number Of American
soldiers in the Canal Zone who have
been able to get dope in the last
year has been greatly reduced.
Was Much Traffic.
"This situation is quite a contrast
to the time-not far back-when
there was much traffic in dope
among the sailors and soldiers.
There has been just as much
progress in cleaning up this traffic
as the medical authorities have
made in making the formerly in
sanitary Canal Zone sanitary.
1--WE got through a law which
makes the minimum sentence for
any person caught selling dope one
year in Jail and one years Danish
ment from the provinces in which
they live. The Republic of Panama
is divided into provinces.
'"The most of the dope is sold in
the principal cities in the Republic
Panama and Colon-Panama on
the Pacific side Of the canal, Colon
on the Atlantic. 1t is to these two
places that the soldiers and sailors
come for their good times
1.-THE work of reducing this traf-
fic has been greately assisted by
the American Zone police, who
work in the closest cooperation
with the police of the Republic"
Chinese, Of whom there are many,
sell most of the opium, while
the great bulk Of cocaine comes
from Colombia, Nicaragua and
Costa Rica. Colombia, according
to Colonel Lamb, does not CO.
operate in the efforts TO stamp
out the traffic, because Colombia,
since Panama asserted fits 1nde-
pendence from Colombia, has no
relations with Panama and does
not recognize the Republic of Pan
ANA.
Just before the joint army and
navy maneuvers late in January
in the vicinity of the Canal be-
tween fifty and seventy-five ven
doris of dope were arrested. Colonel
Lamb admitted that, despite these
arrests, there are about 200 others
in some way or another iden-
titled with the dope industry.
Crime generally has been greatly
cut down, according to Colonel
Lamb, who has been in charge
of the Panama police for the last
six years and who is recognized
as a fearless and efficient official.
Colonel Lamb has been, In q sense,
soldier of fortune. 1t was he
who organized the police force of
Panama. 1t was a nondescript,
inefficient outfit, numerically weak,
when he took it in hand. He
also organized the police force
of Guatemala years ago, under
the dictator, Manuel Estrada Ca
bera.
Colonel Lamb said that, although
the population of Panama is com.
prised Of people of almost all ma
tionalities and temperaments, the
number of grave crimes is COM
paratively small. Murders, he said,
are uncommon, robberies are few,
and affrays over women are not
as numerous as strangers might
surmise. Most of the arrests are
due to intoxication. The saloons
of Colon and Panama are wide
open, and liquor Of all kinds can
be purchased at a price that en-
ables all the inhabitants to drink
more or less freely.
The Panama. policemen get $40,
$50 and $50 month, depend
ing upon length of service. Each
of them has two khaki uniforms,
which they purchase themselves
and which they keep in excellent
condition. From an organization
which six years ago was monde.
script, rendered. ineffective because
of politics and without standards,
1t is today a snappy, alert organiza-
ton, exerting itself for the better.
ment Of Panama.