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New York Times August 14, 1936
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OPENS DRIVE TO END NARCOTIC RUNNING
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Morgenthau Shifts 570 men to Customs Agency, Setting up Four New Districts.
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SMUGGLING IS EXTENSIVE
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Principal Problem on Pacific Coast-- Attack on 'Rum Row' Is to Be Duplicated
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Special to The New York Times.
WASHINGTON, Aug, 13.-- In a drive against smuggling of narcotics Secretary Morgenthau
today transferred 570 men from the customs border patrols to the customs agency service
and created four customs patrol districts with headquarters at Buffalo, Jacksonville, El
Paso and Havre, Mont.
The Customs Agency Service, an investigating organization consisting of highly trained
men, is thus increased to 752 men who will concentrate on suppression of what is said to
be the considerable import of contraband narcotics.
Mr. Morgenthau explained that the principal problem was on the Pacific Coast with
smuggling of heroin, opium and other drugs from the Far East.
Questioned as to smuggling through New York City from Turkey and Belgium, former large
sources of narcotics, the Secretary indicated that illicit imports from those countries
did not constitute a particularly serious problem.
SAYS THERE IS NO RUM ROW
Mr. Morgenthau said that the same attention would be given to the narcotic problem as had been devoted to the campaign against liquor smugglers.
Since I have been here we have spent a lot of time on the suppression of liquor smuggling," he said. "That has entirely ceased. There is no Rum Row.
"The problem is now the overseas smuggling of narcotics. We are going to try to hit that as hard as we hit liquor. In order to meet that situation we are going to have a considerable reshuffling of men because the narcotics come in at different places from those used by liquor smugglers."
The Secretary explained that this is the first move in an effort to wipe out narcotic smuggling.
The campaign is a responsibility of the Customs Bureau and not of the narcotic section of the Treasury. The change in plans will not curb the Narcotic Bureau, but will supplement it, according to Mr. Morgenthau.
"The four customs patrol districts and their respective headquarters will ne as follows," Mr. Morgenthau said:
"Northeast patrol district, with headquarters at Buffalo, N.Y., will consist of the Customs Collections Districts of Numbers 38 (Michigan), 41 (Ohio), 9 (Buffalo), 8 (Rochester), 7 (St. Lawrence), 2 (Vermont), 1 (Maine and New Hampshire), 4 (Massachusetts), 5 (Rhode Island), 6 (Connecticut)., 10 (New York), 11 (Philadelphia), 13 (Maryland), and 14 (Virginia).
"Southeast patrol district, with headquarters at Jacksonville, Fla., will consist of the customs collections districts of Nos. 15 (North Carolina), 16 (South Carolina), 17 (Georgia), 18 (Florida), 19 (Mobile) and 20 (New Orleans).
"Southwest patrol district, with headquarters at El Paso, Texas, will consist of districts of Nos. 21 (Sabine), 22 (Galveston), 23 (San Antonio), 24 (El Paso), 26 (Arizona), 25 (San Diego), 27 (Los Angeles), and 28 (San Francisco).
"Northwest patrol district, with headquarters at Havre, Mont., will consist of the customs collection districts of Nos. 29 (Oregon), 30 (Washington), 33 (Montana), 34 (North Dakota), 36 (Duluth and Superior), and 37 (Wisconsin)."
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