San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1926-04-18
POSESASCROOK,
HELPS BREAK
Up RING
Master Mind" Long Re-
formed, Wins Confidence
Of Men Selling Drugs.

ter from the pen of Victor Hugo reads
the true-life drama which has been
unfolded here by Zeno Duffresne-the
story Of a master diamond smuggler,
who after fourteen years absence from
"ths game" returned to pose once
more as a member Of the smuggling
ring, but in reality to aid the authori-
ties in rounding up drug-peddling Or
ganization which, he feared, menaced
his own son.
TO SAVE SON.
"For twelve years struggled dia-
monds from Amsterdam into Canada
and the United States" Dufresne, who
testified before the special committee
of parliament, which is investigating
smuggling, admitted.
"Then for fourteen years dropped
out of the game. But two years ago
j went back into it, for one reason
and one only-dope peddlers were traf-
Ticking drugs round the college which
my boy attended, and ] had to do my
bit to kill it."
In telling how he had posed as a
smuggler, and had worked with the
police to obtain evidence on which
Miguel de Malaquer, Spanish consul in
Montreal, was convicted of smuggling,
Dufresne laid bare the existence of at
least half a dozen drug rings" which,
be charged, are making addicts Of
thousands Of young Canadians and
Americans, of both sexes, annually.
SMUGGLED DIAMONDS.
II have been a smuggler Of dia-
monds," Dufresne admitted. But this
is a different business dirty bust
ness. The traffic in silks and laces
doesn't count; liquor running isn't 80
bad; but drugs-they are damnable
and must be stopped.
in heavens name, why do they
worry about q dollar on silks OF
dollar on lace?" Dufresne demanded
dramatically. mot per cent of the
drugs struggled into the country are
seized. The whole future Of the coun-
try is at stake because of drugs, anC
we are asleep.
"The welfare and health OF every
boy and girl in this country and the
United States is imperillcd. The habit
is spreading. know it got several
youngsters in my sons college, the
children of wcll-to-do families.
TELLS OF RINGS.
There are five big rings in Mon.
treal today trafficking in drugs. There
are several in TOrontor-One headed by
Italians and another by Swcdcs. There
are many in New York and in other
American cities. The traffic can be
killed within Two years, and with half
of the S450.000 which parliament is
considering for the preventive service.
But it cannot be accomplished by the
present methods.
you cannot combat the cleyerest
criminals in the underworld by a Gus
tones service whose senior men are
only paid 5000 n month. After the
Spanish consul case the mounted po-
lice offered me a job at $3.50 n month.
A man cannot live on that. j did not
20 into the Spanish consul case for
money. but because my boy was in dan
ger and his friends Also"
TRAP FOR OFFICIALS.
Dufresne told OF his negotiations
with DE MalaQuer, the Spanish consul,
and with ley de Torrents, a Spanish
exporter, who shipped alcohol to Can
ada, disguised as olive oil.
we could get cases Of anything
through the customs at so much per
case" he testified.
"Who got the money!"
ave were to pay DE Torrents"
mot the customs officers?"
"No; that was up to him."
The witness told of a plan which
had been laid, in the hope of trap
ping the crooked customs officials, but
which had gone astray through the
accident Of nail piercing one of the
tins of alcohol and disclosing its con.
tents before the trap was ready to be
sprung,