Evening star., 1953-01-17
Inadequate D. c. Narcotics Law Enforcement
And Federal Loxity Cited in Jury Report

7ssN S~Ss~ -s
The tert OF the District of |
Columbia special grand jury
report on narcotics violationS
tollolDS:
This Federal Racket Grand |
Jury was sworn in on the 9Th day |
of February, 1852, in the Dis
trict of Columbia. Judge James
r. Kirkland, in instructing the
jury. stated, there is no field I
can charge you to investigate
more fully than the traffic of
illegal narcotics in the District
of Columbia. United States At
torney Charles M. Irelan told
the Grand Jury that the dope
traffic was the most vicious, de-
moralizing and dangerous Of the
rackets than flourishing in the
District of Columbia.
On February 18, 1852, Mr..
Thomas A. Walden, jr. and
Robert L. Ackerly, Assistant
United States Attorneys. began
the interrogation of witnesses
subpoenaed by the Grand Jury
in its initial attack against
Washington's organized narcot-
ic traffic. Agents of the Federal
Bureau of Narcotics, Detectives
of the Metropolitan Police Mar
cotics Squad, dope addicts. ped
dlers, narcotic wholesalers, and
many other persons with an in
innate knowledge of the narcotic
traffic were called as witnesses
in order that the Grand Jury
might gain full understanding
of the narcotic situation as it
existed at that time.
Based upon the aforemention-
ed investigation. the Grand Jury
submits this report as to the
conditions existing in the mar
cotic traffic in the District Of
Columbia during and previous
! to February and March of
1852.
Situation Described.
1. Narcotics, and more parti-
cularly heroin, were plentiful,
and sizeable quantities could be
obtained on short notice without
detection. On some street cor
ners. narcotics were sold as
openly as the daily newspaper.
! 2. The illegal narcotics sold
in the District of Columbia were
supplied by national narcotic
violators.
| 3. The number of addicts
among adults was increasing:
an alarming amount of addic-
ton was found in late teen-age
groups.
4. Dope addiction was found
to be directly responsible for a
high percentage of the crimes
committed in the District of
Columbia.
5. The narcotic peddlers and
wholesalers exhibited utter con-
tempt for local and Federal law
enforcement officers.
Reasons for Conditions.
The Grand Jury believes that
the aforementioned conditions
existed because of the following
! facts
l. The enforcement of the mar
cotic laws by the Metropolitan
Police Narcotics Squad during
the year previous to February
1852 was to say the least, IN
adequate. In many instances
! seized narcotics were improperly
destroyed. 1t would appear large
drug peddlers were allowed to
promote their trade in an al
most unmolested manner.
2. The Federal Bureau of Mar
cotics was lax in its enforcement
of the narcotic laws of the Dis
trict of Columbia.
3. Both the Washington Field
Office of the Federal Bureau of
Narcotics and the Metropolitan
Police Narcotics Squad were un-
derStaffed in personnel.
! 4. There was a general failure
to apprehend the large whole
salerS operating in the District of
Columbia.
S. The methods and tech
niques of Investigations con-
Quoted by the aforementioned
organizations were in many
cases antiquated.
On March IT, 1852, this
Grand Jury returned indlct-
ments against IA persons who
had formed a syndicate for the
distribution of narcotics in the
District of Columbia; this syn
| dicate had successfully operated
for more than three years. This
Grand Jury believes that the
syndicate was able to operate
for this long period of time be-
cause of an apparent failure in
the enforcement of the narcotic
laws
THEFT OF DRUGS FROM THE
FEDERAL NARCOTIC DRUG
DISPOSAL ROOM
During the month of April.
1852, the Grand Jury learned