The Washington times., 1929-02-12
]. 5. DOPE COST
IS 5 BILLIONS
ANNUALLY
BY KENNETH CLARK

Drug addiction costs America the
staggering total OF $4,000 ,OOO,O an.
nually, Representative Fish R), Of
New York, told House Judiciary
subcommittee yesterday.
He estimated the crime burden
of the country at $4,000 600, 900
yearly and laid at least one.half CT
with dope"
Lays Crime to Dope
Representative Stobbs R.), of
Massac achusetts, committee member,
interposed that 80 per cent of all
criminals used drugs.
There are a lot of young Grim.
inals who wouldn't commit murd ar
il they weren't full of drugs, said
Stobbs. dope gives them courage
to commit acts of violence"
Col. L. G. Mutt, chief of the Fed
eral narcotic division, and Judge j.
]. Britt, counsel for the prohibition
unit, appeared with Fish to urge
passage Of Fish's two bills author.
izing employment of American mar.
cotic agents abroad to detect dope
smugglers and an appropriation to
pay informers for "tips" on illieit
drug shipments.
How The payment of $4,000 to an
informer would have prevented
smuggling OF dope valued at nearly
100000 wholesale, was barred by
Mutt. The informer guaranteed to
tell exactly where the drugs could
be seized, Mutt stated. i.
Payment Denied
The Comptroller General. Mutt
said, ruled that under present law
the money could not be paid to the
informer, an employe of a European
factory which manufactures drugs.
The shipment contained 81 500
ounces Of morphine and nearly two
tons of opium. At retail prices the
dope was worth millions of dollars.
Mutt said he believed the shipment
reached the country and was sold to
addicts.
Mutt told of the seizure of 1900
ounces of morphine, 2 900 ounces of
cocaine and 20 pounds of opium
which came to the country last De.
cember aboard the steamer Rocham.
beau. The dope was in boxes labeled
scrubbing brushes. Value was esti.
mated at between 100000 and $5.-
100000.
Smuggling of dope is one of the
most hideous situations we've ever
faced" Fish declared. European
factories. chiefly in France, Switzer-
land, Holland and Germany. are
overproducing drugs to ship chiefly
to the United States. The League
of Nations opium committee pointed
this out and even named the fac
tories. / have asked the State De.
partment to have the names of the
facories cabled here. They will be
available in "a hours.
Would Curb Crime
''If we stop dope Importation, we
will do more to stop crime than
any other conceivable thing"
Committee members raised the
question whether European coun.
tries wouldn't resent having Amer
lean narcotic agents spying on their
factories.
Both Mutt and Britt replied that
on the contrary the foreign govern
ments probably would be anxious
to cooperate in smashing dope
smuggling rings. They SAID IL ma
tions already are cooperating.
why don't the State Depart
ment take action to force foreign
countries to live up TO the Hague
convention to restrict production of
drugs?" asked Stobbs.
''It should" replied Fish. 1.-The
ingenuity Of dope smugglers is be-
yond our comprehension. II we had
authority to use agents abroad they
could shadow the big American
smugglers and see where they OBJ.
tained their dope to send to Amer
lea. 1t would do much to break
up the tremendous Illicit traffic."