Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-06-15
Jail Terms Curb
Dc. Drug Sales,
Police Assert
Narcotics Official
Says Penalties Halt
Traffic in District


Grim tales Of drug addiction
n Washington are becoming
ever, as stiff court sentences
squeeze the peddlers out of busi-
hess here, a veteran police mar
,otics squad official said today.
1t H. H. Carper said efforts Of
police during the past year.
coupled with longer prison terms
handed down by the courts, have
tut drug traffic to a minimum.
The traffic among teen-agers, he
added, was cut short almost before
It got under way.
He and his superiors challenged
4 Senate Crime Investigating
Committee summary report that
is major source OF
supply for marijuana and heroin
THE peddlers here are strictly
operators" 1t. Car
per said. 1.-The marijuana comes
IN here from Texas and Mexico.
and the heroin from New York
City"
Notorious Corner.
He described Seventh and T
streets N. w. as one Of the most
notorious narcotics peddling places
in town. but he said traffic there
has been halted.
"But these people move around"
he continued. "We know Of no
white peddlers still doing business
here and most Of the colored ped
oilers have been locked up or have
moved out of town"
1t. Carper pointed out that.
where sentences year ago were
for six months to one year, they
now are ranging from two to five
years. And, he added, there are
few instances where narcotics
peddlers get out on parole.
There are no school children
involved in the drug traffic here"
he emphasized. 1.-The teen-agers
we have picked up-possibly II or
10 Of them in the past year-have
been ones who were out Of school
for one reason or another"
No Estimate on Addicts.
1t. Carper said there still are
undoubtedly many addicts in
Washington but that there is no
way to estimate their number.
He said drug addiction leads to
crime and conversely, crime often
leads to drug addiction. The adj
dict, he said, becomes addicted in
one of two ways-during an illness
he may become used to drugs
administered to relieve his suffer-
ing, or he may start using drugs
through association with addicts.
1t. Carper's memory is bullying
with case histories of known adj
diets In the Washington area.
He described q woman. now 40.
who began using drugs when she
was 20. She had already become
q prostitute. When police first
came in contact with her, she was
paying $40 a day for heroin.
Her source Of supply would not
transfer the drugs until she had
earned her $40 and could pay for
them. When she could no longer
earn $40 a day at prostitution, she
turned to theft and shoplifting.
Cure Fails to Last.
She was committed to a Federal
hospital for addits in Kentucky.
Within a few weeks after her re-
lease she began using drugs again
and once more she was arrested.
This time she was sent to the local
jail. Now she's out again and is
still using drugs.
1t. Carper described the case Of
a 30-year-old man who began US
ling heroin following a siege in a
hospital with spinal injury. He
became dope peddler.
When he could not earn enough
Ito buy drugs he resorted to petty
larceny and HOUSEKEEPING. He
began burglarizing drug stores all
over Washington. He stole only
narcotics and left cash untouched.
He eventually became one OF the
Largest dope peddlers in Wash
ington. He travelled between
Washington and New York City
by plane to bring the Illegal drugs
in from New York. He was using
personally any drug he could get
I-marijuana, heroin, morphine.
Iseconal.
Now Serving Term.
When police finally caught up
with him, they found 100 ounces
of heroin concealed behind a
secret panel in mantle at his
home. He now is serving a term
in Federal prison in Michigan.
Addicts, 1t. Carper said, often
turn to peddling drugs in order
to get money to buy more drugs.
He cited the case of a 62-year- old
Ipensioner.
The man became addicted to
morphine. He suffered from
asthma and obtained drugs from
doctors. He was visiting four doc
tors in town.
| He taught a girl living with
him to use drugs. She became an
addict also, and both Of them
became peddlers. At the time of
his arrest he was using Is grains
Iof morphine a day.
Three Boys Saved.
Three teen-age boys were picked
up recently at the notorious cor
ner of Seventh and T streets NV.
Two were using heroin and one
marijuanna. r..
"They were lucky" 1t. Carper
said. 'They were able to quit
after their source of supply was
stopped and sent to jail. But if
they had got a good start, there's
no telling where they would have
wound up"
1t. Carper indicated a need for
norn treafrnont raotarS for od.