Newspaper Page Text
Busting The Big Wheeler' Hard To
Do Without Large Money Supply
(Perry Police Detective
Major Giles Webb, for
merly chief of the Houston
Peach Narcotics Squad,
and current chief Ted
Pender talked with the
Home Journal at length
last Thursday about the
Drug Squad, its operation,
and the current status.)
The Houston-Peach
Drug Squad has been a
controversial subject ever
since its birth about four
years ago, but most
analyses of the squad have
never subjected them
selves to a full un
derstandlng of its function.
Former director Giles
Webb and current boss Ted
Pender are more than a
little disturbed by
detractors who never fully
investigate it.
Pender said last
Thursday, "I don't think
people should say just
because we cannot com
pletely stop drug traffic,
♦hen we should just quit."
Giles Webb agrees.
Webb added, "The fact
Former Houston Peach Narcotics Squad chief Giles Webb (L) and present squad
director Ted Pender discuss problems and opportunities in the two counties that have
arisen during the past three years. The two lawmen held an indepth discussion with the
Home Journal last Thursday, and shed light on the squad's operation.
State Dir. Asst. Os Area IV
Perry AARP Hears Miss Hathorne
Perry Chapter No. 1744 0 t the American
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that there is a specialized
unit, giving full attention to
this area, is a deterrent
within itself. And in
reality, no one seems to
want anything to do with
the squad, so to speak. It is
the most difficult area in
law enforcement in which
to accomplish anything
You get little help- because
people just don't want to
get involved."
Both men feel, probably
correctly, that the average
citizen does not know just
how technical drug squad
work can be. "They don't
know what is required to
move in and make arrests.
They think just because
they call, and report they
think their neighbors are
using drugs, we should go
in and arrest everybody,"
Webb said
For the record, in order
to receive a search
warrant, a law en
forcement agency must
establish "probable
cause", and searches
cannot legally be con
ducted without the
Houston Drug Squad Director Speaks Out
warrant.
DRUG USE
INCREASING...
Chief Pender says he feels
drug usage in the county is
on the increase, and his
opinion is that up to
seventy five (75) percent of
all high school and junior
high school students are
acquainted with
marijuana smoking, either
once or more often! "It's
out there alright, but
they're more sophisticated
about it," he adds.
A recent news article in
an area daily took little
pains to concern its harsh
words about the aquad's
efforts, and Pender quite
naturally didn't think
much of the printed words.
He said that several facts
were in error, and feels
♦hat the article gave a
misleading view of the
operation.
"In one place it was
reported that our biggest
case was for two pounds of
marijuana, well,
someone's memory needs
Association of Retired
Persons has Miss Thena
Hathorne, assistant to the
Ga. State director of Area
IV, as the main speaker at
their meeting, held
Tuesday night, June 8, in
the Community Room of
the St. Christopher's
Episcopal Church. Henry
Rossier, program chair
man, Introduced the
speaker.
Miss Hathorne, of
Barnesville, Ga., said the
AARP is a fast growing
organization of nine
refreshing. A boy who
confessed and pled guilty
to selling FIVE pounds of
marijuana, that I myself
arrested, is in the files.
Five pounds is SBOO of
marijuana, and so you can
see why we don't make
hundred pound cases. We
don't have the money," he
added
In the case of which he
spoke, Pender says the boy
received two years on
probation, and a mere $250
fine. "People have been
convicted and given as low
as a SIOO fine and two or
three weekends in jail- and
I mean for selling- not just
for use. All they do at the
jail is take orders for the
prisoners and deliver it in
some slick ways." Then he
described several methods
used to smuggle in the
marijuana.
But Pender and Webb
added, "But it doesn't
really matter legally how
little is sold, one cigarette,
or one pound, or whatever.
The crime is the same. Yet
juries look at it and decide
accordingly."
THE VICIOUS CHAIN
Another thing about drug
sales most persons fail to
realize, according to
Pender, is its complexity.
"We have to get the little
men to get to the big men."
Webb agrees, "There
are different size dealers.
Big wheelers and street
men. One dealer may sell
individual joints. He buys
from a dealer who sells
ounces. He may buy from
someone who will not sell
less than a pound, and up
the ladder It goes."
"We've got to get the
street men first. They're
the one putting it out for
the users," says Pender.
Webb adds that the squad
would have to go up the
chain to completely dry up
one of several outfits.
But the main problem
there is that only the
"street men" are ever
million members. She
praised the founder, Dr.
Ethel Percy Andrus, who
also began the National
Retired Teachers
Association, an affiliate of
AARP.
The speaker outlined the
benefits that accrue from
membership in these
groups and the op
portunities they offer for
community service. She
emphasized the im
portance of the Health
Insurance programs and of
the Legislative Com
mittees.
Randy Brewster gave
information on the group
insurance plans.
Ken LeVan reported 166
members on roll and
presented these new
members: Mr. and Mrs.
L.M. Hartley, Mrs.
Catharine Riley, Mrs.
Seaton Carpenter and Mr.
and Mrs. Lewis Tabor.
W.K. Whipple told of
plans for a trip to the
mountains of Georgia and
North Carolina around the
middle of October.
DC. Peterson urged
chapter members to vote
in the State Primary,
August 10, and General
Election, November 2.
Mrs. Aurelia Evans,
chapter president,
presided over the meeting.
Before the program, a
covered dish supper was
served. Hostesses were
Mr. and Mrs. Tommie
Hunt, Mr. and Mrs. David
Crockett, Miss Martha
Cooper and Mrs. Aurelia
Evans.
Sixty members enjoyed
this meeting.
exposed to any degree.
And a "street man" knows
better than to tell all before
a lawman. Only large
sums of money and
promises of safety, as well
as leniency, would induce
aid.
UNDERCOVER
AGENTS...
Pender is somewhat
amazed at the comments
made by various people
because two former un
dercover agents were
accused of perjury and
other criminal acts. "What
kind of people do people
expect us to use? I can't go
in a church and get an
undercover agent out of
the choir. He wouldn't
know enough to help me,
for one thing, and also
wouldn't be known as a
"user" by the sellers."
"We have to use agents
who have been "in the
business", or users of
drugs. Most have a record.
If they're willing to
cooperate, we have to use
them, because they're the
best we can get," he ad
ded.
Pender says he doubts
seriously if any public
official either in Houston
or Peach would ever, or
could ever, make a drug
buy, then turn around and
testify in court. "I doubt if
they'd know how to do it."
The life of an undercover
agent is quite hazardous,
and doesn't last very long.
"Their usefulness is
limited," says Webb. "As
soon as you make one
arrest because of their
testimony, their cover is
usually blown. So they
cannot be offered any
permanency."
Pender agrees, "One
bust 'burns' your man."
This difficulty is what
makes apprehension of the
"biggies" so hard, they
say. But the big
"wheelers" are there and
Pender said he is almost
positive that five hundred
pounds of marijuana is
driven in or flown in from
Arizona on regular in
tervals. "Most of it is sold
before it is ordered, and
the bigger dealers pool
their resources. There are
probably at least eight to
ten good sized dealers in
Warner Robins," Webb
stated.
WHERE THE SELL 15...
Both men are certain
that several places in the
county are regularly used
for drug sales, but declined
to list the places. But they
did elaborate that the sales
sites "are where young
people frequent" and
mentioned one such place
in Warner Robins.
Pender said that in 1973
he and another agent "set
on a house" (staked it out)
for two weeks, finally
searched it and found 20
pounds of marijuana. He
added that one occupant
recieved 12 months in a
public work camp, the
other took a SSOO fine and
12-month suspended
sentence.
"I've been here three
years," Pender continued.
"We've took a lot of
criticism. And kept doing
our job the best we know
how- No one would put up
with what I have, and
continue to do a job.
Whatever we try to do we
get criticized. Right now
I'm the only investigator,
and I'm expected to be
there at all hours. If my
phone is busy, I'm
criticized. I'm criticized
tor not being available
when out in the field, and
criticized for not being out
in the field when in the
office."
"We don't have enough
people or money to try to
start slowing drug traffic
down. Look at the other
law forces in the country,
probably over 200 com
bined officers, and I'll bet
there are no more traffic
accidents than there are
drug sales. If I could hire
as many as I need, we'd
have a force of ten people
at least: five investigators
and five undercover," he
added.
"My tires have been
slashed, my windshield
has been broken out, one of
my dogs was killed. I could
be killed just as easily," he
continued. He said he was
sure if he searched houses
indiscriminately, he could
fine large quantities of
illegal drugs. "But I don't
feel that is right. A man is
innocent until he is proven
guilty by our laws."
"Some people must be
trying to make us look bad.
Raids have been pulled
without our knowledge. I
don't like my name in the
paper without knowing
about it. But most papers
print just what people want
to read," he stated.
Giles Webb interjected a
point. "You can quote me.
You cannot let too many
people know what your
business is. The more you
let know your plans, the
less chance of success.
Two departments
criticized me when I was
here. Since then some
personnel accusations
have been made against
We Appreciate
Father
at
»
for his hard work
and dedication.
=
5
s
Have a Happy Day
sir
Z
on June 15.
I
( [Jjhl THE BANK OF PERRY
main OFF,CE
L— EASTGATE OFFICE 1001 CARROLL ST. GRANT PLAZA OFFICE—
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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL TMURS., JUNE 17, IW4,
them."
"No, I'm not trying to
put people on a spot. But
payoffs have existed In
some places," he added.
Pender broke In, "There
have been people who went
to the Sheriff and really
raised —-, saying lawmen
searched their homes,
identifying themselves as
drug squad agents or In
vestigators. We get
criticism from their
lawyers, and we've never
even been Involved at all.
One case I know about."
MONEY PROBLEMS
The two law en
forcement officials fhen
discussed funding, or
rather, lack of if. "One of
our big problems is we've
never known when or
where our funding comes.
Employees are ap
prehensive about being
paid," Pender contributed.
Webb said when he was
still chief of the drug
squad, funds were taken
out of the "buy" money
sl,Boo worth- to pay rent
for housing the offices. At
the time Webb said he
asked that line items from
others areas within his
budget be transferred,
without success. (Last
year line item transfers by
the commissioners
PAGE 8-A
became increasingly
frequent.)
He added, "I had to
make $3,200 in buy money
last. I went to a local bank,
one time, when we thought
we had a sale of a half
pound of heroin set up. I
withdrew $7,500 from my
savings and we were going
to a Warner Robins motel
room. But It never
developed. I was risking
my own money to make a
heroin sales arrest."
"What I'm trying to
emphasize is, it takes
money to accomplish
anything. We tried to buy
less from that man, but he
wouldn't do it. Had we
been a federal agency, we
could have gotten the
money, and our lead might
have carried us to the
source," Webb stated.
The two men closed the
interview by saying, "One
major reason there is so
much of a problem is that
in drug abuse, there are no
victims to give you in
formation, such as there
would be in burglaries or
other crimes. The drug
squad has to work a crime
while it is in progress. And
that job is important, more
important than some other
departments who seem to
get money easier."