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1920s and Prohibition

  • the established

    The Prohibition Unit is established under the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
  • what was pourd down the drain

    35,000 gallons of wine from the North Cucamonga Winery on Alameda Street is poured down the drains by Revenue agents in accordance with the new law.
  • whats happening

    Prohibition in the United States goes into effect. By this time 33 states have already adopted state-wide prohibition by referendum, by statute, or by state constitutional amendment.
  • mabel walker

    Mabel Walker Willebrandt is named Assistant Attorney General by President Warren G. Harding and becomes chief enforcer of the Volstead Act. During her eight-year tenure, she notes that high profile bootleggers never file tax returns.
  • shrimping

    Using a shrimping business as a cover, bootlegger Anthony Cornero smuggles Canadian whiskey into Southern California.
  • what act gets passed

    California passes the Wright Act, allowing local enforcement of the Volstead Act.
  • the attemp

    In an attempt to crack down on the movement of liquor in their city, Torrance police set up an early version of sobriety checkpoints.
  • the smugled

    The Los Angeles Examiner estimates that $50 million dollars worth of liquor has been smuggled into California from Canada.
  • the returning

    Returning from Mexico with approximately 1,000 cases of rum, Anthony Cornero is arrested and sentenced to two years in prison.
  • independent

    The Prohibition Unit becomes an independent entity within the Department of the Treasury, changing its name to the Bureau of Prohibition.