19. The 40 Elephants criminals developed a modern inventory distribution system
By the early 1920s the 40 Elephants, working in conjunction with the Elephant and Castle Gang and others throughout Britain, developed a system of acquiring and shipping stolen goods to order. Warehouses nearing distribution centers held goods, delivered by trains and trucks, to fences who needed them to satisfy customers’ needs. Expensive goods stolen from Selfridge’s in London appeared in shops in Liverpool or Brighton, filled in accordance with the vendor’s requests. Gang members often traveled carrying empty steamer trunks, depositing them at railroad stations where they were filled by local members with the required goods. They then traveled to assigned destinations, carrying their goods to their customers. Merchants and vendors in smaller towns received items stolen from high-end shops and sold them to their customers at discounts.
Each member of the gang assumed a relatively small role in the overall scheme of things, meaning that when they were caught the charges the police could bring were relatively minor. Arrests, when they occurred, usually carried penalties upon conviction of just a few months, up to about three years. Few served their full sentence, with reformers arguing vehemently against the incarceration of women for minor offenses. The gang hired legal representation for their members and welcomed them back into the fold upon their release. Frustrated police and merchants found little they could do to prevent the female gangs from continuing their activities. By 1939, when Britain went to war with Germany, about 70 members of the 40 Elephants operated in Great Britain. Wartime security and efforts to quash the black market which arose from rationing finally brought the gang to an end.
