Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-10-08
200 Reported
Active Here in
Dope Racket
Nine Seized in Raids;
Violence Feared as
Police Get Tough

Police Get Tough
About 200 narcotics peddlers are
active in Washington, officials said
today after q series of selective
raids during the night designed to
bring in the Districts top ped
dlerS.
Nine were arrested in the raids.
There were indications IN court
today that the dope racketeers
may be adopting get tough" at
titude in the face of a police
breakdown on their activities.
This came from Police Pvt. John
w. Hawkins, whose affidavit &C.
companied a warrant for arrest Of
one Of the men. In the afflda Wit
he described activities Of an I'M
|dercover man, and added:
1T is the belief of the UNDER
signed officer that to reveal the
identity of the special employee
(undercover mani at this time
would seriously endanger his life"
Five Leaders Nabbed.
Five described as leaders of the
racket here were caught in the
net. Two others are sought as
police switched their tactics from
mass raids to a practice Of reach
ing out for specific suspects.
All those arrested were picked
up on warrants issued earlier by
District Court Judge Burnita Mat
thews.
Among those nabbed were:
Joseph (Black Sammy Davis.
40. colored. who. police said, is the
biggest peddler here.
Joseph (Peter Rabbit) Smith.
1875, colored, of the 1400 block Of
fifth street NV, taken into GUS
ltody at his home.
John w. (BulD Leach, 20, COL
ored, of the 1900 block of Marion
court NV.
William (Blue) Miller. colored.
of the unit block of Madison
court NV.
James Robert Taylor, IS, COL
lored, of the unit block Of Logan
Icourt NV.
Call Top Drug Racketeers.
The five were described by
police as operating at the top Of
the narcotics racket here. Also
arrested in the raids were:
Walter H. (Tommy) English.
80. of the TOO block Of Euclid
street NV; Bessie Byrd. colored.
of the 600 block Of Massachusetts,
avenue NV; Mrs. Irene Dancy,
%. colored. of the 500 block Of
! Florida avenue NE, and Marion
Johnson, Is, colored, of the 600
block of Fourth street NE.
!, All were charged with illegal
possession and sale Of narcotics.
Police said English was mem
Der of the old "Tri-State Gang"
which operated in the Washington
~ area some years ago in a series
:, of holdups and burglaries.
|. Smith Now Under Indictment.
t Smith was described earlier this
= year as a peddler on a par with
d James M. (Jim Yellow Roberts,
e who told the Senate crime in
t vestigators he could afford
amounts I'D to 81. 900 a month for
2 police protection.
Detectives seized Smith in q
raid February % on his triple
:, locked home. He has been free
4 under $500 bond on charge Of
illegal possession and sale of mar
cotics growing out of that raid.
He also is under indictment on
a charge Of conspiracy to violate
n the narcotics laws. He and Ran
. dolph Catfish Turner, along with
e others, were indicted on the con-
spiracy charge March IS by the
special rackets grand jury. Police
Ialso questioned him after a July
: "a raid in the 1900 block of Church
S street NV, where $4,000 worth Of
: heroin was confiscated.
= Name Entered Crime Hearings.
10 Leach also is familiar to the
narcotics squad. His name entered
d the crime hearings during testi-
mony of Roberts, who said he
&c passed on a part of his first mar
II cotics shipment here to Leach at
a time Roberts was arranging his
reported protection setup.
Miller and Miss Byrd were
nabbed in a gambling raid in the
$500 block Of Thirteenth street
NV. where others were arrested
and charged with violating the
gambling laws.
Assistant United States Attorney
. Thomas A. Walden. jr.. who was
II with the raiding party until 2 am,
= said the nights forays differ from
:, past practice.
- Instead of making mass raids,
he said, intensive investigative
q work was done for three weeks,
and evidence obtained on which
D to base warrants for the narcotics
9 larrestS.
This is the kickoff to q sus-
tanned drive to place under in
dictment every large major mar
cotics peddler in the District who
is not now serving time" MIR.
q Walden said.
The raiders assembled in his
4 Office at 4:45 pm. yesterday for
final instructions from their vari-
81 GUS leaders. The raids began
about an hour later. In the party
were police narcotics agents
Is United States marshals and police
10 assigned to the United States at
s. torney's Office.
Il Mr.. Walden said all had worked
in close cooperation during the
r. past three weeks preparing for
4. the raids.
h -