HUGE LIQUOR RING DISCOVERED AMONG CHICAGO COMPANIES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18992, 11 February 1930, Page 10

HUGE LIQUOR RING DISCOVERED AMONG CHICAGO COMPANIES.

Whole Of Spirit Comes From Federal Government Industrial Alcohol

(United Press Association.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (Received February 11, 1.30 p.m.) NEW YORK, February 10. The Grand Jury at Chicago has indicted thirty-one corporations and 156 individuals on charges of diverting 1,000,000 gallons of alcohol a year for seven years into bootleg channels. Three hundred definite breaches of the Prohibition lauv were disclosed during the investigation which has occupied twelve months.

The biggest conspiracy in the history of the Prohibition movement was uncovered by Prohibition agents, according to a Chicago newspaper. More than 150 persons were involved in a syndicate operating all over the country that flooded the United States with spurious liquor. The most astounding fact oi all was that the Federal Government had supplied every drop of this liquor.

Agents traced 4,000.000 gallons of industrial alcohol, which had been diverted into a bootleg trade. The basis of operations was the discovery by a former Bulgarian chemist of a formula for extracting essential oils from hair tonics, perfumery and kindred products. This chemist’s sudden rise to wealt-h provided the key to the solution of the mystery why so many new perfume companies were being established.