THE FORTY ELEPHANTS

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 3496, 4 November 1926, Page 12

THE FORTY ELEPHANTS

gang op women criminals. ROUNDING UP UNDERWORLD. Scotland Yard is preparing an extensive campaign against "The Forty Elephants,” a secret organisation of women criminals, whose speciality is dope peddling in the night haunts of West End. Other activities of the gang include burglaries in London and the provinces, hold-ups, passing of bogus cheques, promotion of bogus' charity appeals, shoplifting and pocket picking.

All the women are tall and well built, and sometimes dross as men.

In one daring raid carried out on a West End fur store one of the “Elephants” was dressed as a male chauffeur, while another in a well tailored suit sat with two women in the car. There arc many clever women in the gang who are quick at assuming the roles of secretaries, modistes, chambermaids and porters.

Traffic in drugs has been held in check since the authorities made a clean sweep of many underworld dens a year ago, and most of the leaders oi’ the "Elephants” arc still in prison. But within the past few weeks cocaine -and other drugs have been smuggled through the East End docks in considerable quantities, and supplies arc known to have been distributed to many rendezvous.

The gang, which in the meantime had concerned itself with petty thefts only, is again organising on a large scale.

Much of Iho “snow" —the name hy which cocaine is still k-’own among purveyors and add,d-s- changes hands in the shady night clubs. This is one of the less risky means of supplying customers, because the dope carriers and the retailers’ runners arc women, who make use of ihc womens* cloakrooms, where they are less likely to be surprised than in any other part of the club premises. The only risk they run is it they are ‘Known’ to the police, and are arrested with supplies on them while entering or leaving- Hie duo, or if they are caught during a raid. But while they are clever and cunning, every one of them has served at b ast one term of imprisonment, and all of them are reckless enough to lake big risks. The profits are hig.

Those leaders of the “Elephants, who were not caught in the round-up a year ago dress fashionably, own expensive motor cars, and confine tholr activities to hotels and jeweller’s ■shops.