The Van Wert County Courthouse

Thursday, Mar. 28, 2024

Heroin use in county a big problem

Editor’s note: This is the first in a two-part series on the influx of heroin into the Van Wert area and its effects on the community. The first part will deal with the increase in arrests for heroin trafficking.

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Some of the items normally found around a heroin user's residence include syringes and a burned spoon. (VW Police Department)

The influx of cheap heroin into the community first seen in 2008 has, if anything, increased substantially each of the last two years, according to Van Wert Police Department detectives.

Detective Sgt. Jeff Blackmore said heroin cases have at least doubled each of the last two years, starting with 11 cases in 2008.

“It’s not letting up and I don’t expect it to let up,” Blackmore said, adding that cases increased to approximately 30 in 2009 and totaled approximately 60 last year. “We’ve also seen a number of cases to start this year.”

In addition to actual drug trafficking and possession charges directly related to heroin, detectives have also seen more burglaries and weapons offenses they say are linked to the increased use of the drug.

There have also been several overdoses stemming from heroin use, including one death directly linked to heroin.

The main problem, Blackmore said, is the relatively low cost of the drug, coupled with the highly addictive nature of heroin. The heroin being sold locally is mostly the brown powder variety, but some black tar heroin is also being sold in the area. The drug, which is packaged in gelcaps that contain approximately two doses, costs between $15 and $25 per capsule, detectives said.

Heroin can be smoked or sniffed (snorted), but is most often injected into veins using syringes.

Most of the heroin powder sold here comes from the Dayton area, Blackmore said, while the tar heroin is transported mostly from Toledo, although some reportedly comes from Fort Wayne, Ind.

Because heroin is so addictive, those who sell the drug – usually addicts themselves – know they have a long-term client when they get someone “hooked”. The strong addictive qualities of heroin have increased both the number of people using heroin, as well as the number of dealers of the drug.

“We’re seeing new addicts every day,” Blackmore said, adding that, unlike prescription drugs and crack cocaine – the other drugs usually being sold in Van Wert – it’s relatively easy to sell heroin.

“Anyone can be a heroin dealer,” Blackmore said. “In certain areas of Dayton, people are selling the stuff on street corners.”

The scope of the heroin problem in Van Wert has local police desperate to find a way to deal with the situation.

“We’re doing the best we can, but we’re just trying to keep our heads above water,” Sgt. Blackmore said, noting that city police are using public education and aggressive enforcement efforts to try to keep heroin usage from spiraling out of control.

Brown powder heroin (DEA photo)

Blackmore said local residents who think someone they know may be using heroin should look for the following symptoms:

  • Collapsed veins
  • Dilated pupils
  • Dry mouth
  • Decreased mental function.
  • Increased pain tolerance.
  • Flushed skin.

Blackmore said heroin users will go into a state where they’re alternately awake and drowsy, usually called “on the nod” because the user’s head nods as if they can’t keep awake.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), heroin abuse is associated with serious health conditions, including fatal overdose, spontaneous abortion, and – particularly in users who inject the drug – infectious diseases that include HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.

Chronic users may develop collapsed veins, infection of the heart lining and valves, abscesses and liver or kidney disease. Pulmonary complications, including various types of pneumonia, may result from the poor health of the abuser, as well as from heroin’s depressing effects on respiration.

Black tar heroin (DEA photo)

In addition to the effects of the drug itself, street heroin often contains toxic contaminants or additives that can clog blood vessels leading to the lungs, liver, kidneys, or brain, causing permanent damage to vital organs.

People who suspect someone they know is using heroin should look for syringes, spoons with a burned bowl, burned aluminum foil or a nasal spray bottle, all used to ingest the drug.

Sgt. Blackmore said what bothers him the most about the burgeoning use of heroin is the affect it’s having on families and children. “That’s the sad part, and that’s what makes me the most angry,” he said.

Tomorrow: An interview with a local heroin addict.

POSTED: 02/07/11 at 4:08 am. FILED UNDER: News