Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a Chinese immigrant [sometimes refers to the Chinese population of the Philippines].

1906		C. M’Govern Sarjint Larry an’ Frinds 9: Japs and Americanos, Chinos and Spaniards, [...] Jews, Gentiles and Filipinos stand side by side every evening.
1935		A.J. Pollock Und. Speaks 20/1: Cheeno, a Chinaman.
1975		J. Wambaugh Choirboys (1976) 78: Mexican boys who lumped all Orientals together by invariably nicknaming them ‘Chino’ or ‘Chink’.
2000		(ref. to 1840s) W. Shaw Westsiders 134: The ‘Chinos’ had come to California mostly from the poor region of Kwantung, in south-east China, lured [...] by the Gold Rush.
2015		P. Beatty Sellout (2016) 47: ‘How much the Chinos make?’ ‘Well, Asian men earn more than any other demographic’.

2. attrib. use of sense 1.

1906

C. M’Govern Sarjint Larry an’ Frinds 11: All de coffee [...] you raise has to be shipped away by thim plaything Chino sail-boats.

3. (US drugs) a Chinese drug dealer.

1936		D. Maurer ‘Argot of the Und. Narcotic Addict’ Pt 1 in AS XI:2 88/2: chino. A Chinese. Incidentally, while much of the opium traffic in America is still in the control of Chinese, they seldom deal in other forms of drugs, and those of the older generation refuse to take narcotics through the needle.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 49: chino A Chinese dealer in narcotics.
1953		Anslinger & Tompkins Traffic In Narcotics 306: chino. A Chinese drug peddler.
1959		J.E. Schmidt Narcotics Lingo and Lore.