Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-07-22

49, - u -
At first, the owner didn't want |
to say where he had gotten
the chloromycetin he had sold !
to his friend. Bit when De-
tective Shrock told him that
the drugs he had sold werei
stolen and he had handled stol-
en- merchandise, the druggist
hastened TO reveal his source.
He said he had bought the
drugs from q drug salesman
for a Baltimore pharmaceuti-
cal house. He had the name
and telephone number of the
salesman pasted on his store
wall.
More 'Strays' Indicated
At that point, the investi-
cation was turned over to De-
tective Sergt. John r. Panetta
of the Narcotics Squad. who
specializes in warehouse and
drug store inventories and pre-
scription procedures. Obviously,
more than a couple Of bottles
had strayed.
Sergt. Panetta arranged for
the drug salesman to come to
police headquarters for an in
terview and the salesm an
showed up with his attorney.
Deputy Chief Roy E. Blick,
head of the morals division;
Capt. Ernest P. jefferson, head
of the narcotics squad, and 1t.
Eugene H. Sisson of the gen.
eral assignment squad Joined
Sergt. Panetta at the session
with the drug salesman. 1t.
Sisson was there because of
the probable larceny angle. The
salesman told this story Of
how he came to trade in hot
drugs:
Early in December, 1861, on
a visit to one Of his customers,
a Hyattsville drug store, the
druggist asked him If he could
dispose Of some surplus drugs
the druggist had gotten from
a hospital or If he wanted to
buy them himself.
| The salesman expressed in
terest and started buying from
the Hyattsville store. He was
getting bargains-six or seven
bottles Of a tension reliever at
$22 a bottle when the whole
sale price was $3.50; three
bottles of a drug used for
apprehension at $32 q bottle
where the wholesale price was
$57 a bottle, and six bottles
of chloromycetin at $3.50 a
bottle compared to a. 5000.
wholesale price.
The salesman said he bought
from the Hyattsville store on
six or seven occasions, paying
by check. The checks were
usually made out to cash and
Endorsed either by the drug
store or its owner. The sales
man later turned over to po-'
lice Is cancelled checks show
ing Endorsements from the Hy-
attsville firm.
Better Bargains at I'd Store
In the latter part Of March,
1862, he continued, the Hy-
! attsville druggist told him he
had q friend who ran another
Prince Georges County drug
! store and had some other
J drugs to sell If the salesman
: was interested. In April, he
: started buying from the Sec
! ond Prince Georges firm, where
! the bargains were even better
) He later turned over to police
, five cancelled checks Endorsed
, by the second firm-includine
: one for $4,000.
> From the two firms, he said
| he had bought more than 3d.
900 worth of drugs, most o.
e them at less than half the
5 wholesale price. Both druggists
D The said, told him the drug
( were hospital surplus but die
0 not identify the hospital.
: In November or December
t 1861, the store owner said, HI
E received an anonymous cal
J; from a man who told him tina
. a mutual friend had said h
e might be interested in som,
merchandise. The store owne
said he was interested and tn
deliveries started.
al Early in the game, he toll
+ police, he complained to tn
4 delivery man that he could no
s accept the drugs unless the,
4 were intact. In the first batch
: some of the numbers wer
e scratched off the labels. Tha
: accounted for the bottle
S found in the drawer with tn
y mutilated labels. '.,-.
d The drugstore owner toll
: police the deliyeryman woul'
# call when drugs were availabl
= and the druggist would plac
D his order. Between December
e 1861, and May, 1862. he est
a mated, the deliverymal
g mated, the deliveryman brough
n him 10 or IL deliveries of drug.
e. averaging between $500 an
d 81, 900 delivery.
4. The store owner told polio
d where he disposed Of the drug
: to the salesman they al
g ready knew to the other Primo
d Georges County drugstore tina
: had been raided and to a sec
n. ond drug salesman. Occasion
~ ally, he said, he bought drug
e. himself from a doctor operat