Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-05
More Than Score of Federal
Agents and Police Seize
Men and Dope on Avenue.
TIP CONNECTS TRAFFIC
WITH TONG GATHERING
Several Out-of-Town Celestials
Here for Convention Among
Those Corralled.

Staging three spectacular raids early
today, Federal and local narcotic agents
seized several hundred dollars worth OF
opium and pipes and arrested 81 Chi
nese in dens only few doors from the
tong's headquarters in the 800 block Of
Pennsylvania avenue.
The contraband and prisoners were
taken when the raiders swooped down
on two poorly-furnished parlors at 3ls
and 345 Pennsylvania avenue in rapid
succession. but word of the police in
vasion quickly spread through China
town and a third raid on another
building, suspected of housing gang
of dope" peddlers, failed to reveal any
evidence of unlawful operation.
The raiding party. made up Of six
Federal agents. led by Bruce Greason
of Baltimore, chief of the Federal mar
cotic forces in this division: Detective
Sergts. Robert Sanders and John c.
Daiglish of the Detective Bureaus mar
formed policemen, walked into store at
318 Pennsylvania avenue about 2:30
am. TO make its first capture.
Break Three Doors.
Breaking through three doors the po-
lice plunged into a room on the sec
ond floor, in which a number of Chi
nese we're lying around on grass" mats
smoking opium from long pipes. They
were quickly nerded together, the dope
collected and the prisoners dispatched ir
two patrol wagons for the ninth anc
sixth precincts.
Many small tins of opium were found
in the room, and police said that the
operators of the den apparently hao
laid in heavy stock. A few moments
later a clever ruse employed by Detec-
tive Sergt. Sanders, chief of the Detec-
tive Bureau narcotic squad, gained the
raiders admission to den at 345 Penn
sylvania avenue, where more prisoners
dope and pipes were seized Walking ur
to the front door of the establishment
Sergt. Sanders .apped softly. The voice
of a man stationed behind the barred
door inquired IN Chinese, who il
there?"
"A friend" Sergt. Sanders replied il
the native language of the sentry.
Bolts ratified in their catches and thu
heavy door swung back and the police
rushed past the surprised doorman ant
grabbed the aStonished smokers before
they had any opportunity to make /:
break for safety. Men were founC
smoking in inlprovised parlors on al
three floors of the building, police said
Prisoners Not Counted.
Both raids were conducted so quick,
that police made no attempt to coun
the prisoners or the amount of opium
taken, realizing that any delay woulC
result in the news being spread through
Chinatown and their plans for the ap
prehension of the dope" peddling gang
foiled.
The wisdom of this was borne Gu
when they entered another alleged den
which they had been told catered Il
the opium trade, and nothing to in
dictate that any smoking had been goint
on there could be found.
Those caught in the first two raid
are being held at the sixth and nintl
precincts on technical charges of in
vestigation. Federal and local narcoti
heads were to confer today, after which
formal charges will be preferred agains
a number of the prisoners while tn
others will be released.
Police said today that they had beer
informed that the Chinatown den
would lay in large supplies of opium TO
the convention and that the raids wer
the result of much careful preparation
Several out-of-town delegates to tn,
On Leong Tong convention, which open
today, were caught in the net this morn
ing. including representatives of thu
tong from Uniontown, Pa; Philadelphia
and New York.