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j WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department reports it has used wiretaps or electronic surveillance in 133 cases in the j past 18 months—and 419 persons . i have been arrested as a result. . j Sen. John L. McClellan, D-j-Ark., said the accounting vindicated the judgment of the Senate in approving wiretapping with court permisson.“Fortunately, the present administration is making forceful and effective use of McClellan said in placing the wire-i tapping report in the Congres-I sional Record.McClellan said opponents of the bill that legalized wiretapscontended it would permit“promiscuous snooping and the invasion of privacy of Americancitizens without any corresponding gain to law enforcement.“These fears and predictions have in no way materialized,” he said. McClellan said there have been no reports of abuse or misuse of wiretapping powers.Henry E. Petersen, deputy as- * sistant attorney general, said | the Justice Department has ap-\ plied to the courts for 137 wire-! tapping orders, obtained all but ! one. and used all but three.In each case, He said, Atty. i Ge*n. John N. Mitchell has personally approved the application . before authorizing its filing, i Eighty-two of the cases in-! volved gambling violations, 28 j involved narcotics, Petersen said.I He said 121 of the wiretaps i were productive, producing 419 ; arre.sts and 325 indictments, j Only five people have been con-i victed, he said,.bul that is because none of the cases involved has yet come to trial. The five convictions were produced by guilty pleas.i McClellan said the results of | “just a few. of these court ap-! proved wiretaps” include:! —Seizure of 124 pounds of her-! oin wprth $8 million.I ^-Breakup of two numbers racket rings operating in 60 locations in the Midwest. .—•Recovery of $500,000 in sto-j len bonds.—Prevention of a murder andirecovery of the loot in a bank robbery, both of which agents overhead being planned.McClellan said members of Cosa Nostra or other organized crime groups were Involved in each of the cases be dted.He said that' firfhly established the effectiveness of wire-, tapping in combatting organizedcrime.
Newspaper Details
Wichita Falls Times
Wichita Falls, Texas, US
Mon, Aug 03, 1970
Page 16
Full Page
Clipped by
Madison H.
NA, 25 May 2023
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