Evening star., 1952-03-29
Stronger Heroiin
Hints Presence
of New PeddIers
Better Quality Stuff
Strengthens Reports
Of District Combine
BY chorIes 6. Brooks

&s4
Reports that a new narcotics
peddling combine has entered the
District were given weight today,
after it was learned that at least
one addict has declared the,
quality of capsuled heroin to be
better.
Vice Squad Chief Inspector
Clarence Lutz. yesterday quoted
a colored addict. arrested for IL
legal possession Of heroin Thurs
day night, as saying that "the
STUFF has been getting better re-
Gently.
The man, Louis Marshall, "a, Of
the 900 block of NJ street N. w,
was held under $1,000 bond for
the grand jury by United States
Commissioner Cyril s. Lawrence
yesterday.
Points to Usual Practice.
Inspector Lutz pointed out that
it has always been the practice of
new narcotics peddlers to start
of by selling dope Of d compara-
lively high degree Of purity and
then gradually to drop the quality
of the illicit product with each
succeeding shipment.
Sometimes" the inspector con-
tinued, ''heroin will start of up
to nearly 80 per cent pure and
then will drop to l or 2 per cent"
In recent months capsules have
been sold here with only / or q
per cent pure heroin in them.
Few officials will be surprised
should the reports be verified, for
the District has been considered
by Federal narcotics men as the
dirtieSt city in the country as far
as Illegal narcotics are concerned.
Driven Out Of Baltimore.
Peddlers have jammed the city
ever since they were driven out
OF Baltimore by Maryland's strict
aIlti-dope laws and Baltimore's
powerful police narcotic squad.
Inspector Lutz, however, said
yesterday he had only the one re-
port Of increased purity in heroin
SO far. He refused to verify the
reports that there are new ped
dlers in the District.
Within the last week the
special rackets grand jury indicted
IA personS-an action alleged to
have blocked most of the supply
Of narcotics for the city. But
peddling has still been going on,
as shown by arrests since then.
Should the rumors of the new
dope combine prove correct, it
is believed the police are likely
to have a difficult time stopping
it. Many addicts, it has been
pointed out. did have their source
halted with the special grand
jury indictments. They will not
be likely to spill any new
sources.
Eight Decks of Heroin Found.
Police said Marshall was re-
luctant to talk about where he
got the eight decks of heroin
found on him when he was
searched at the Second Precinct.
Marshall. who comes from New
port News, Va, did admit to
police he had been taking dope
for years and that he started the
practice when he was working on
q cattle boat.
He was arrested on q traffic
violation charge; when he couldn't
put up collateral, he was searched
and locked up. That's when po-
lice found the heroin. Shortly
thereafter, man believed to be
John Bull" Leach, now free
under bond on a narcotics charge,
was seen near Marshall's car,
parked In the Precincts own lot.
He was promptly chased away.
Elsewhere it was learned that
the situation in the District has
become so bad that the Federal
Bureau Of Narcotics must keep
four agents working here. There
ore only four Federal agents in
the entire New England States.