 The story you are about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. Fatima Cigarettes. Best of all, King-size Cigarettes brings you Dragonet. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a narcotics detail. You're in the middle of a drive to break up a $100,000 narcotics ring. You apprehend two of the lesser gang members. You still haven't reached the big operation. You still haven't found their store of heroin. Your job? Get them. Fatima. America's first largest selling blended cigarette. Now, King-size. 1950. Fatima sales higher than ever before in Fatima history. 1951. Another record year. Fatima sales up and up. Why, in one month alone, Fatima sales were up 110% coast to coast. Friends, for your smoking in 1952, insist on Fatima. Enjoy Fatima quality, extra mildness, and superbly blended tobaccos. Remember, the name Fatima has always stood for the best in cigarette quality. Yet Fatima's cost the same as the cigarette you're now smoking. Compare them. When you see the difference, taste the difference, smoke the difference, you'll switch to Fatima. Because in Fatima, the difference is quality. Each King-size Fatima gives you a long, extra mild and soothing smoke with the added protection of Fatima quality. Bye, Fatima. The Documented Drama of an Actual Crime. For the next 30 minutes in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case transcribed from official police files. From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force in action. It was Sunday, August 14th. It was cool in Los Angeles. We were working a special detail out on narcotics division. My partner's Ed Jacobs, the boss's Captain Kearney. My name's Friday. It was 1.23 AM when I got to 5th and Ceres, southwest corner. Hi, Joe. Ed, Captain, you've been waiting long? Just got here. All right, Jacobs. OK. Where'd you finally book in the two of them? 77th Division, Substation Watch. Perish here is willing to cooperate, told us everything he knows about the gang. Well, I'm glad you feel that way, Stan. You won't regret it. Yeah. What's the matter? Hope it helps. Red and the other guys find out about it. It's going to be rough. They're not going to find out from us. We're heading out for East Hollywood, Joe, apartment house out there. Perish says that's where Red makes his pickups. Whereabouts is that, Stan? I don't know the address. I know the neighborhood, though. I'll recognize the place when I see it. How you feel now, Stan? Any better? No, lousy. Sure could use a fix about now. Sorry, Perish. Can't help you there. How are you going to handle this thing, Captain? I mean, picking up Stan and Max Higbee. You figure we can keep it quiet? Newspapers are going to cooperate. They're not going to print a word about it. I'm going to handle the court work. Stan and Max are going to waive their preliminary. Oh, to give us five to six weeks of quiet if we need it. If we can't reach the rest of the gang by then, we'll never reach them. Sure feel lousy, sick, never try to kick the habit before. How long does it take? How about all the pins? How bad do you hook? Oh, not bad. I'm just chippy with it, not more than a cap a day. Where are we going now, Stan? Keep going straight? Yeah, straight ahead. Turnouts not for a while yet. Well, how do you figure it from here on in, Captain? What do I do about Red? Well, you're going to have to con your way through. I had the crime lab fix up a dummy package for you on the seat there. It's the same wrappings as the one the real stuff came in. Package Stan gave you in the restaurant. You take it back to Red and scream your head off. Yeah? You tell him you got the package from Stan and Max, and you paid him the six Gs for it. You opened it up and finally pulled a powdered sugar. Read them off, put it on big. You got a gun? No, I haven't. I checked it in my locker when I started on this thing. All right, take mine. OK. Make it heavy. Pretend you're going to gun them. What if it doesn't work, Skipper? That's taken care of, too. There'll be a couple of men down in the street, Joe. If you get your back to a wall, break the window. They'll come running. OK, I'll give it a try. You think Red's still in his hotel, Stan? Sure. He's probably waiting for me and Max. Anybody with him, you think? No, I don't think so. All right. I wonder if you'd call my mother the first chance you get. She might be a little worried. Don't have to. She called the office before we left. Oh. I think I convinced her everything was all right. Oh, thanks a lot. Kevin? That's it. We'll let you out at the next corner. Head back for the hotel. Right. Good luck, Joe. Right, Ed, thanks. How about it, Parrish? Anything else you can give us that might help him? I don't know. It's going to take a lot of front. Only one way can get that. Yeah. You better get yourself a good fix. Left Captain Kearney, Ed Jacobs, and the narcotics suspect, Stan Parrish, on the corner of Western and Wilshire and made my way to Red's hotel on West 54th Street. I went up to the second floor and found his door open. I walked in. Red was sitting in an overstuffed chair next to the radio listening to the police calls coming in. What's the matter now, Lindsay? Why the gun? Don't try any of your conning this time. You're too bitchy. What's the matter with you? Put the gun down. No, not before I get what's coming to me. You and your lousy punks. What are you talking about? Where's Stan and Max? Dead, I hope. And that leaves only you to deal with. I should have known better the first time when you had me tamped. I should have gotten out right then. What's in your craw, guy? Come on, let's settle you. You know what? Now look for yourself. Six G's worth, powdered sugar. You didn't think you could beat me for this, did you? I don't know what you're talking about. There's more in this than me. If you don't square up this thing with us, there's ways of taking care of you. I'm on the lam anyway. Now, one more beef isn't going to make that much difference. Put that gun down, will you? Now, let's talk it out. It doesn't make sense. If you've been beaten, so have I. Don't try to sell me that line. Get both of them out. I know they're here. Now, come on. Get them out here. Watch that gun, will you? I don't know what you're getting at, Lindsay. They're not here. Didn't you see them, Max and Stan? Sure, I saw them. That's why I'm here. I gave them the money, six yards of it. And that's what I got. Powdered sugar. Now, you start explaining, smart guy. It's the truth. I don't know where they are. I gave Stan and Max 20 ounces to take to you. I told Stan to make the meat with you inside the restaurant. Max is supposed to be the lookout. Oh, yeah, sure. So help me. I don't get it. Do have never tried anything like this before. Weren't you tipped off at all? Maybe the way they acted. Something they said. Oh, nothing. That moot Stan was a little unhappy. He said he wanted a fix and you wouldn't give it to him. That's right. I wouldn't. Well, you should have known better. There's no time to get stingy with him when he's going to make a deal for you. You know what happened the last time he took a fix before a job? I sent him up to that park to watch you. He ends up by tamping you. I'm leveling with you, Lindsay. I think we've both been taken. I still don't get it, though. I can't understand why they'd run out on me. Now, look, I haven't got the time to draw you pictures, mister. All I know is my dough's gone and you haven't delivered the stuff. Now, you get with it. Now, wait a minute. How do I know for sure? What? How do I know you didn't get the real merchandise? Then you took care of Max and Stan. How do I know you didn't build a frame? Oh, sure. That's why I'm back here. I got 20 ounces free and I want another 20. I met those mooches of yours and took care of them all by myself. Now, that makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? Now, get off it, Red. You're not going to pour a mouth of me out of this. I paid my six Gs and I want the merchandise. Full 20 ounces and I want it right now. You're crazy. I can't do that. You have to give me time. We don't keep this stuff here. It isn't mine in the first place. What do you hand it to me? It isn't. I'm just a middleman. That's all. You'll have to give me time. Maybe we can work out something for you. You bet you're going to work out something for me. You got my six Gs. Why'd you try and big shot me in the first place? Calm down. Trying to make me believe you were the big man. You ought to get wise to yourself, Red. Why should I deal with a middleman? I can probably buy the junk cheaper from your boss. Now, where's he? You couldn't buy it at two Gs an ounce. He wouldn't sell it to you. I handle all his stuff. I'm the only one he works through. What makes you so special? You can't even handle a 20 ounce deal and keep it straight. Stay cool. Will you give me 24 hours? What am I supposed to be doing in the meantime? Same thing I'll be doing. Worrying about getting that stuff back. Why try and cover up your mooches right out on you? Maybe. I want to make sure I'll get the word out. I'll find out what happened. Before I left Red, we set up a meet for the following night in his hotel room at 7 PM. Then I left, went downtown to an all night drugstore, and put in calls to Captain Kearney and my partner, Ed Jacobs. I briefed him on what had happened with Red, and the captain set it up for the three of us to meet early that morning and plan the next move. The meeting point was down off Gallardo Street, alongside the Santa Fe train yards. Yo, over here. Hi, Ed. Captain. Hi. A little late. Anything happen? Well, I did some doubling back. I wanted to make sure I wasn't followed. Things worked out with Red. How no trouble? Well, not so far, no. I think he went for my story. He said he's going to do some checking around, though. Try to find out what happened to Stan and Max. Yeah, halfway figured then. That story you told him, I thought if Red bought that, you'd be in. Well, he didn't buy it that far. I guess it made an impression waving a gun in him, but he still has some doubts. What else can you do to get yourself in solid? You tried about it everything, Joe. I've been kicking around an idea. It might work for you. I don't know. Who? Put out a phony shakedown for him. Might give you a chance to show him how tough you're supposed to be. What do you think? Well, maybe. I ought to help out if we stage it, right? When's your next meet with Red? Seven o'clock tonight, his hotel. Room 231, that it? Yeah, that's right. How do you want to work it? Oh, I'll get a couple of men from Metro Division, have them in uniform. We better have them work in a radio car. We're going to have to have a good reason for them breaking in on you. How about a 415, Skipper? Joe could go up to the room, pick an argument with the Red and make noise, a lot of loud talking. Yeah, that sounds okay. All right. Both of the men in the radio car will be thoroughly briefed. You'll know what to do Friday. You're out to sell yourself, act as tough as you think you have to. All right, I'll give it a try. Play it up to the Hilt. You give Red the least idea of the shakedowns of phony and we're washed up. No. Phonemate the office as soon as you can. The inside line. We'll be waiting for the call. Right. There's just one more thing. Yeah? How about that apartment house Stan was going to show you last night? The place where Red's supposed to pick up the junk? He pointed the place out all right. It's going to take some checking. What do you mean? Stan said he drove Red to this apartment house about a dozen times. Always had to stay in the car though, Red went in alone. Didn't know which apartment Red went to. Can't we check him out, Captain? Got some men on it now. Going to take a little time. Big layout. All right. 47 apartments. I left Dad and Captain Kearney and caught a streetcar back to my hotel. I had some scrambled eggs, toast and coffee in the grill next door and then I went up to my room and got a couple hours sleep. Late that afternoon I took in the show at a newsreel theater, had a bite to eat and then headed out for Red's hotel on West 54th Street. I got there a few minutes before 7. Red was waiting. Apparently he'd failed to dig up any information on what had happened to his two operators, Stan and Max. I accused him again of trying to swindle me out of $6,000. I demanded the 20 ounces of heroin. Red had nothing to offer, but apologies. All right, all right, relax. Will you take it easy? I'll work out something. Take it easy, nothing. You do enough of that for the both of us. You sit there and listen to that radio. Why don't you get out and hustle up those two mooches of yours and get my dough back? All right, all right. You don't have to scream. I said I'd work something out. All right, then start working. Get it. The dough or the white stuff. I gotta have it by the end of the week. What do you want to do? Have it all over the hotel? Keep it down, will you? Why? You take me for $6,000 and I'm supposed to play it nice. Now come off it, mister. I didn't take you for $6,000. Those two mules did and you own them. Either you square this up or everybody in the business is gonna know about this. It's got into you anyway. You've been boozing it up today. Don't you worry about me. I'll take care of my end. Real big operator, huh, Red? You had all the H. You handled everything. A real big shot, aren't you? All right, forget it. Red, the big wheel. He handles all kinds of deals. $0.50 to $5. After that, they get too big for it. I said forget it, Lindsey. When this one gets around, they're gonna laugh you right out of the business. You can go back to selling razor blades and knock that radio off. I'm sick of hearing that. You're gonna quiet down. You think you're ready to handle it, do you? I told you I'd try and work out something for you. Now playing tough's gonna get you nothing. You ought to know that. What's that? What's it sound like? Yeah, who is it? Police officers, open up. What is this? What do you got me into? Shut up while you're taking it easy. I can't tell. I guess we're ending. All right, open up. Well, I'm getting out of here. I'm not going through any shakedown. Out of your mind. Hold it. I didn't mean to keep you waiting. Come on in, officers. What's all the noise about up here? Nothing. We're just having a friendly argument, that's all. Let's see your identification. Sure. You stay put. Yeah. Harry better shake him down. Yeah, all right. All right, back against the wall. OK. Come on, hands behind your head. Keep them there. You bad, you lousy fuzz. Come on, grab the other one. All right, good. Both of them. You crazy fool. Now what do we do? We don't have to worry about the other one. He's out cold. Take the gun off this one here. He's got his handcuffs. All right. Why'd you have to do it? Why'd you have to start something? I told you I can't afford a shakedown. You want to know that? Better give it up both of you. You're not going to get away with it. Shut up. You won't go far. Come on, Red. Help me drag him over here. What are you going to do? A bed post here. All right, get his wrists around here. That's it. Lindsay, you're out of your mind. What do we do with him now? I'll worry about that. How's his partner? Well, nothing to do with him. He's still out. All right, now, Cop. Let's have it. What's the idea of the shakedown? Why don't we pick you up again? You'll get the idea. Now, come on. Let's have it. Why don't you lay off? That's not going to get us out of this. For a big dealer, you've got a lot of chicken in you. Now, look, Cop, give. Why the shakedown? You're wasting your time. Maybe I can change your mind. Lindsay, you're crazy. Put that gun away. Now, come on, Cop. Talk. Who gave you the tip off? Put that gun away, will you? It's only going to get us in deeper. I want some answers. These fuzz didn't come along by accident. There had to be a tip off. You were talking up a storm in here making a lot of noise. Somebody in the hotel could have complained. Come on, come on. Get out of here. Now, leave the two of them behind to identify us. That ain't going to work. It's God who. What else can we do? We can kill them. Get out of your mind. I can kill them right now. Probably wouldn't find them the morning. Well, you'll do it alone, Lindsay. I'm getting out. We still got business to do. I'm not looking for a murderer out now. Come on, give it up. Let's get out of here. As soon as we leave, we're going to have to start running. I won't be good for more than a day in this town. What do I do about my deal? Come on, we can talk about it later. We can talk right now. You handed me the stall long enough. I've got 24 hours left. I want it settled. Okay, okay. I'll talk to the big man. I promise you. I want to have a meet with him. I don't know. Now, you listen. That six grand buy was a drop in the bucket. I want to buy more. If the big guy's ready, so am I. You got the money? I got it. Cash. Now, how about the meet? How about it, Red? Okay, okay. Okay, I'll set it up. Red got his things together, and we took the rear fire escape that led down to a service alley behind the hotel. Before the two of us separated, we agreed that Red would call me at my hotel at 10 o'clock the following morning. I wasn't altogether sure, but it seemed as though the act I'd put on at the phony shakedown had impressed Red quite a bit. Before I went back to my hotel, I called Ed Jacobs and Captain Kearney and briefed them on the developments. At 10 o'clock the next morning, I was waiting for the phone in my hotel room. At 10.15, Red called. Yeah? What's the answer? Got to be a fast deal, Cash and Kerry. Ready, is he? All right. What about the meet? When? You are listening to Dragnet. Authentic stories of your police force in action. Fatima. America's first largest-selling blended cigarette. Now king-sized. See the difference. Taste the difference. Smoke the difference. And in Fatima, the difference is quality. Yes, you get all the advantages of extra length. Plus Fatima quality, which no other king-sized cigarette has. You see, Fatima contains the finest domestic and Turkish tobaccos, superbly blended. And Fatima is extra mild. With a much different, much better flavor and aroma. Remember, the name Fatima has always stood for the best in cigarette quality. Yet Fatima's cost the same as the cigarette you're now smoking. Friends, compare Fatima yourself today. When you see the difference, taste the difference, smoke the difference. You'll switch to Fatima. Because in Fatima, the difference is quality. Each king-sized Fatima gives you a long, extra mild and soothing smoke with the added protection of Fatima quality. Buy Fatima. Best of all, king-sized cigarettes. Tuesday, August 16th, 10.33 a.m. As soon as I got word from Red about the meat he'd set up for me with a big man, I called Captain Kearney on the inside line and briefed him on the way things stood. He said he'd have three teams of men ready to tail me and cover the meat. They'd work alternately in three-way radio cars in order to reduce the risk of discovery to the minimum. He also told me the check of tenants was continuing at the East Hollywood apartment house where Red apparently was picking up his supply of heroin for distribution. So far, the detail of men assigned to the job had failed to uncover any definite leads. At eight minutes past eight o'clock that night, Red picked me up at my hotel and together we drove out along Alhambra Avenue. We parked alongside the edge of a private golf course just north of the Ocean Highway. Smoke? Okay, thanks. Better match it? Yeah. Well, what about it? We've been here 15 minutes already. A lot of time. Feels like this, boss. Doesn't like to hurry things. Well, maybe you ought to get with it. Relax with it. So we waited. 9.30. 10 o'clock. 10.30. 11. Still no sign of the big man. 11.30. 11.45. No sign. What sign you got, Lindsey? 10 minutes to midnight. And you got any ideas? Yeah, I guess I can tell you now. Well, you make this one real good with you. It's been a long wait. Boss wants to make sure about you, that's all. He's checking his contacts where you said you wanted to upgrade up around Fresno, isn't that right? All right, so he's checking on me. What's he want, a blood sample? He's careful. He wants to make sure. If it didn't show, this is what he told me to tell you. Yeah? If you're cleared all around with his contacts, a meat set for tomorrow afternoon. Where? I'll get to it. The deal's this. You said you wanted a big buy. The boss has got it. How much? Two kilos. Same good stuff you sampled. High grade Mexican. You can get it at 10 grand a kilo. Well, that's not bad if it's good quality. What's the breakdown? It's 40% good. You're getting a fat discount. I know that. Well, that depends. Two kilos, 10 Gs apiece, 20,000 bucks. You got it. Cation carry. That's a lot of scratch to get together in a hurry. You got a whole day. No dough, no junk. All right, I'll get it. Where's the meat? Out by South Pasadena. They're holding a big flower show in the neighborhood. You'll meet him there. Contact me for the time. Well, when'll it be? When do I meet him? When you got to 20,000. 11.15 p.m., red drove me back downtown and dropped me off at 4th and Main. Before we separated, he told me he'd call me early the following afternoon regarding the time of the meet with a big man, providing I had the $20,000 for the narcotics buy. 1 a.m., after stopping off at a cafeteria and then a coffee counter to make sure I wasn't being tailed, I got to a public telephone, put in a call to Captain Kearney. South Pasadena. Yeah, that's it, Kim. All right. Well, how about the money? What do you think? You got a little with you, haven't you? A little, yeah. Okay. Before he hung up, Captain Kearney told me that the careful screening of tenants in the East Hollywood apartment house, pointed out to them by Stan, had netted a couple of prime suspects. They were an elderly couple, a Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Leslie. Besides the fact that he had a narcotics record in the East, Mr. Leslie operated a second-hand bookstore on Beverly Boulevard, which apparently was being visited often by known narcotics peddlers. Early the following afternoon, Red called me at my hotel room and I told him I had the $20,000 for the buy. He picked me up at 1.45 p.m. I flashed a stack of money containing mostly one-dollar bills and he seemed satisfied. He drove me out to the site of the flower show in South Pasadena, a large glass dome conservatory just off the Arroyo Seco freeway. Let's head back this way, huh? Yeah. Sure nice flowers, huh? It's beautiful. How many times are we gonna have to cover this rod? I've seen everything twice already. It won't be long. A couple of minutes. Oh, this way. Come on. Look, I don't get any of this. If we got business, why can't it be in private? This your big man's idea of a joke? It's protection, Lindsay. He's got to be careful. I guess he figures this is the last place they'd look for. We'll make another round of this place. We'll stand out like a sore thumb. Oh, relax. You'll make the buy. Coming up right now. What? Come on, follow me. Tom, what do you say? No, no, you're in. Why don't you take a mind gladiola, and please, those up there. When you say they're beauties. Yeah, yeah, they're real great, Tom. It took me three and a half years to get blooms like that. South African species, you know. The Chelsea type. Raised them right in the little greenhouse back of our place. Right. You see, the scarlets and the whites, those are mine. Yeah. Tom, I'd like to have you meet that friend of mine. Lindsay, this is Tom. All right. How'd you do? Why don't you think of my entries? Raised every one of them from seeds, Lindsay. They take a lot of care. Yeah, they're all right. Plenty of care. Especially those, the South African type. They take a good stiff, sandy loam, quality fertilizer, just the right kind of heat and water. It takes a lot of work. Proud of them. Yeah. Look, I haven't got too much time to spend. Maybe we better talk outside. Yes, it takes quite a lot of work. Beautiful blooms. You have all the money with you? All of it. You got two kilos? That's correct. You can go out the sideway. You're red. You follow behind. Keep an eye open. Right, Doctor. This way. Sorry for the delay. It's necessary sometimes. Yeah. You came out in red. You double checked. You weren't followed. I double checked. I've been doing business longer in red. Maybe we can make it a permanent tie. Not here. My car's this way. You always make deals in the open? Public places too? Not always. It has its advantages. You sure this is the H.I. sample? You want another phony by? It's no phony. You can be sure of that. Here's a car. The money. Well, you show me this stuff. Red knows I got the money. The red? Yeah, Tom. The money. You saw it before you brought him here? Yeah, he showed it to me. Right here in my pocket. Have a look if you want. Now come on. I can't afford to camp on this thing. All right. Keep a lookout, Red. All right, Tom. In the car, Lindsay. Here. I always find that's the best place. You have a car, cause? I'll go back with Red. There you are. Two kilos. Now the money. What about breaking the package? How do I know it's not more powdered sugar? Of course it's not. Wait a minute. What is this? Those men coming up to the car. Take it easy, mister. I'm getting out of here. Let go. Come here. Let go. All right, Joe. I got him. Hold him, Ed. I'll shake him down. We got the other one, Red. No trouble. Good. It's called Red. It's stupid, Red. I should have known. I should have known. Joe, good work. Stuff all day? Yeah. Two kilos. Want us to take him back in our car, Skipper? All right. We'll take in the other one. Meet you at the parking light gate. We'll follow you in. All right. All right, mister. This way. Look, if you ask your favor. It won't take a minute. Yeah? Let me call my wife. I want to let her know what's happened. I wanted to come out here and get my flowers. I got some valuable plants in that show. I'll be taking care of. Your wife couldn't make it anyway. She was picked up an hour ago. No, couldn't be. What's going to happen? Every dollar I own. All my merchandise. Two kilos. Best quality. All of it. We'll take care of that. Come on, let's go. Well, I got those beautiful plants. You can do that much for me. Let me go back and get my flowers. They're prized, Gladion. It won't hurt anything, will it? Just let me take some with me. I'll be right back. Why bother? They won't last that long. The story you have just heard was true. The names were changed to protect the innocent. On December 4th, trial was held in Superior Court, Department 84, City and County of Los Angeles, State of California. In a moment, the results of that trial. And now, here is our star, Jack Webb. Thank you, George Phenomen. When you compare Fatima, see the difference, taste the difference, and then smoke that difference, I'm convinced that you'll switch to Fatima, because in Fatima, the difference is quality. Now, to show our confidence in Fatima, we're making a money-back guarantee to every king-size cigarette smoker. Buy a pack of Fatimas. Enjoy Fatima quality, extra mildness, and superbly blended tobaccos. If you're not convinced, Fatima is better than the king-size cigarette you're now smoking. Just return the pack and the unsmoked Fatimas before April 1st, and we'll give you your money-back, plus postage. That's Fatima, Box 37, New York 1. Buy Fatima. Each king-size Fatima gives you a long, extra mild and soothing smoke with the added protection of Fatima quality. Thomas Leslie and William Red Forrester were filed on in the district attorney's office for violation of the state health and safety code, section 11,500. Both men were tried in superior court and found guilty of the charge. The violation carries a penalty of imprisonment in the state penitentiary for not less than five, nor more than 10 years. Because of their cooperation in the investigation and apprehension of the narcotics gang ringleaders, Stan Perish and Max Higbee were given one-year sentences in the county jail, with five years probation. You have just heard Dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice comes from the office of chief of police, W.H. Parker, Los Angeles Police Department. Heard tonight were Barney Phillips and Stacey Harris. Script by Jim Moser. Music by Walter Schumann. Hell, give me speaking. Fatima cigarettes. Best of all, king-size cigarettes has brought you Dragnet transcribed from Los Angeles. Next, it's David Harding and Counter Spy on NBC.