Pubdate: Fri, 07 Dec 2007
Source: Foster's Daily Democrat (NH)
Copyright: 2007 Geo. J. Foster Co.
Contact:  http://www.fosters.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/160
Author: Nick Gosling
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?132 (Heroin Overdose)

HEROIN USE RISING ON SEACOAST

KITTERY, Maine -- A rash of heroin use and drug dealing  arrests 
throughout the area this year is an "obvious  indication" that drug 
is on the rise, say police.

According to Kittery Detective Steve Hamel, that  increase is being 
caused by a combination of falling  heroin prices and an increase in 
the use of gateway  drugs like OxyContin and methadone.

"In the past year and half we've seen a large increase  in heroin 
arrests, and heroin use as well," Hamel said  Thursday. "The price is 
cheap. You can get a bundle of  heroin for $50."

And one bundle of heroin is equivalent to 10 bags of  the drug, he said.

It's a problem other area departments, like Portsmouth,  N.H., share. 
Both see decreased cost, with an increase  in "introductory" drugs 
and a greater variety of ways  to use heroin as contributing to its 
re-emergence in  the area, according Hamel and Portsmouth, N.H., 
police  Capt. Janet Champlin.

Hamel, who handles drug investigations for Kittery,  said heroin 
users often begin as OxyContin users, a  prescription painkiller they 
start taking for injuries,  but end up becoming addicted to. As their 
tolerance for  OxyContin rises, they find a need for something 
stronger and turn to heroin, he said.

"The OxyContin thing has really brought heroin back to  life," Hamel said.

Worse, heroin users now abuse it in a greater number of  ways, like 
smoking, instead of just injecting it,  Champlin said. Champlin said 
her department is seeing  an increase in people frequenting methadone 
clinics,  taking methadone to deal with heroin addiction.

"We like to think that being proactive and making more  arrests is 
going to help, however, we don't believe  this is a situation were 
you can arrest your way out of  entirely," Champlin said. "It's going 
to require  enforcement and prevention efforts."

That will mean introducing better programs in schools,  mentoring 
programs and stricter sentences for users,  she said.

"Until we can do more about the demand, supply is  always going to be 
there," Champlin said.

Hamel said most of the arrests by Kittery Police  involving heroin 
have been traced back to Lawrence,  Mass., where buyers can get both 
large amounts to sell,  or small amounts for personal use.

On several occasions, the department has been able to  arrest the 
suppliers as they come up to Maine to sell.

In November, Cesar Olmedo of Hampton, N.H., was  arrested in Kittery 
in a sting operation set up by  Kittery and York police at a local 
convenience store.

According to police, instead of making a $1,000 cash  deal for the 
heroin authorities found in his  possession, Olmedo, 21, was charged 
with Class B  misdemeanor drug trafficking.

Earlier in November, Vincent Brown, 37, of Mattapan,  Mass., a 
convicted felon and registered sex offender,  allegedly swallowed two 
baggies of heroin containing  six hits before his arrest, but told 
police what he had  and was taken to the hospital where he spent four 
hours  waiting for the evidence to be cleared from his system  before 
being turned back over to police.

Brown was arrested on charges of failure to stop for a  police 
officer, receiving stolen property and operating  without a license.

In Portsmouth, at a heroin related party on Oct. 31,  36-year-old 
Anthony Fosher died after an alleged heroin  overdose. The Portsmouth 
Police Department is still  waiting on a toxicology report to confirm 
the cause of  death, said Champlin.

Involved in that party were several others, including  two mothers 
now charged with endangering their children  for bringing them to a 
party where heroin was allegedly  being snorted.

Tammy Wylie, 26, no address, is charged with bringing  her 1-year-old 
child to a room at a local motel on the  night that Fosher died. 
Co-defendant Jennifer Germana,  23, of 395 Main St. in Somersworth is 
also charged with  endangerment for allegedly having her 22-month-old 
and  2-year-old at the same party.

On Nov. 3, Chadrick Provencher, 22, of Dover was  arrested by Dover 
police and charged with felony sale  of a controlled narcotic drug, 
heroin. He was held on  $7,500 cash bail and arraigned on Nov. 4.

The future doesn't look good either, added Hamel.

"It's gonna get worse before it gets better," he said.  "This problem 
is going to escalate... If you go look at  the clinics and you see 
the amount of people going in  and out of there in a day, this 
problem is only going  to get worse."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom