The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-02-08

That supply Is suficient TO main
tain an addict 1876 days, allowing 10
grains per day, which experts cay
Is the minimum sufacient TO keep q
smoker going.
Shortly afterward the price fell b.
some $40 tin. Then Commander
Stanley v. Parker was assigned to
Honolulu to coordinate customs, In
/ ternal revenue, coast guard and mar
cotics law enforcement. With Cob
mander Parker came a new staff Of
treasury agents and customs men.
The price drop may have been
occasioned by release In Honolulu
Of large supply Of opium. With
vigorous enforcement moves In the
offing, a dealer or group of dealers
might have rushed in to dispose OF
his stocks.
Drive without Fanfare ~.
Now, three months later, the price
is rising. Authorities grinly remark
that not much Of the stuff Is to
be had at any price" Without killing
man, and without publicity-which
they have shunned-the treasury de-
partner. men have put throttling
grip on a business whose ramifica-
tons and mysteries are endless.
! Information shows that shutting
back and forth on passenger ships
from the Orient, for the most part,
are large stocks Of narcotics which
agents have been unable to land. Sc
creted in fale-bottom trunks, hid
den In suitcases, stuffed In tiny rub
berized silk bags, wrapped in glacc
paper, inserted in rubber heel plates,
belts and false teeth-put in the
most cunning places that some OF
the worlds most vicious criminals
can devise the opium, the heroin,
cocaine and morphine must go on,
travelling back and forth until
things cas- up"
Strike Hits Trafickers
The Pacific Coast maritime strike
has had one little-knoWn blessing;
it has cut into the delivery Of dope
traflckers. Oriental dealers are
known to favor passenger ships tor
delivery purposes, since their calls
are more dependable, and generally
there Is less chance of detection.
More important in relation to the
decline In Honolulu and trans-Pa-
ciiic traffic has been the work OF
Commander Parker, G. T. Steven
| son, head OF the honolulu narcotics
bureau, Carl Eifier, chif inspector Of
customs, v. o. Bruen, customs agent.
an others.
Steamship lines are doing their
utmost to stamp out the trans-Pa-
ciflc traffic, for they may be fined
as much as $4,000 for a single
seizure. $25 an ounce for opium or
other dangerous drugs discovered
aboard ship that have not been
manifested. In one year one line
faced fines totaling $4,000, indicat-
ing size of the penalties attached
to this section Of the law. .
Flow Of Contraband Estimated
Size Of the possible levies indicates
indirectly. the general value Of the
total narcotics trade across the Pa
cific.
The last annual report Of the
bureau of narcotics showed that in
935 major seizures and known ship
ments in Honolulu, the Pacific
Northwest and Southwest yielded
approximately 2,033 tins Of opium.
At the current reputed Honolulu
sales price-$300 tin-value OF this
total would be nearly 100000. This
is wholesale price, probably one
half the cost TO the final consumer
the addict.
This total does not include white
stuff" seizures of cocaine, morphine,
heroin and similar narcotics, which
relatively are more expensive than
opium Considerable quantities C2
white stuff" are taken yearly from
mainland points. although little IL
seized in Honolulu.
Honolulu definitely is not dump
ton for International narcotics
ing ground, way point, or relay sta
smuggling rings, authorities insist.
They point out that through ship
ment Of opium and other narcotics
TO the United States obviously Is
easier than attempts to transfer the
/ copfpahopd hppo