Third man hospitalized after apparent overdose

'PURE' HEROIN KILLS 2 IN ROANOKE

Five people have died in Roanoke since 1996 after injecting unusually
potent heroin.

Roanoke police said Friday they believe an unusually pure batch of heroin
recently hit the city's streets and may be to blame for three overdoses --
two of which were fatal -- during the past week.

The heroin, they said, is being packaged under the names "Face to Face" and
"Good News."

Two men died Oct. 10 and 14 and a third man was hospitalized after an
apparent overdose Oct. 15. The overdoses occurred in separate parts of the
city and all three men were found with hypodermic needles and other drug
paraphernalia nearby, police said.

Roanoke police Lt. R.E. Carlisle said the two deaths were the first in the
city since police broke up a heroin ring last year. He said this is the
first time he has seen three overdoses in a week.

"Apparently this heroin has not been cut," said Carlisle, referring to a
practice in which a drug's potency is reduced by combining it with other
substances. "If it has been cut, it hasn't been cut very much."

Carlisle said the heroin does not appear to be concentrated in one part of
the city and could be widespread.

"Any time you use heroin is like playing Russian roulette. If you're
playing with this heroin, it's like the gun's fully loaded," he said.

Charles Edward Roberts, 38, was found dead last Saturday at a relative's
house in the 400 block of Cherry Hill Road Northwest. Investigators said
Roberts apparently injected heroin sometime during the early morning hours.
He was found by a relative on the living room couch. Investigators found a
small plastic baggie and a hypodermic needle at the scene, police said.

Mark Allen Musgrove, 29, was found by friends Tuesday in a room at the Town
Motel in the 2300 block of Williamson Road Northwest. Detectives said
Musgrove had a history of drug use, and a hypodermic needle and other drug
paraphernalia were found near his body, police said.

Autopsies were performed at the medical examiner's office in Roanoke on
both bodies. An official cause of death has not been determined because
toxicology reports have not been returned. Those results are expected
within 60 days, police said.

A third man was hospitalized at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital
Wednesday after falling unconscious at a female friend's residence in the
1500 block of Hampton Avenue Southwest. Investigators said the man, 48,
apparently injected heroin prior to passing out. As in the previous cases,
investigators found a plastic baggie and hypodermic needle at the scene,
police said. The man was released from the hospital Friday, a detective said.

Carlisle said it is common for heroin dealers to stamp their packaging with
names such as "Good News" and "Face to Face" -- the names found on baggies
discovered at two of the overdose scenes -- to distinguish their product.

"A heroin dealer -- they take pride in their product," Carlisle said.

Undercover detectives broke up a heroin ring last fall, indicting 18
people, 14 of whom pleaded guilty to drug charges in federal court this
summer. Heroin the detectives purchased from the group was found to be from
70 percent to 96 percent pure.

Norma Jean Madison, Alan Tartar and Kevin Lee died in 1996 and 1997 after
injecting potent heroin police said was purchased from the ring.

Federal law allows prosecutors to hold drug dealers responsible for anyone
who dies using their product, providing for life sentences for the crime.

Carlisle said 12 detectives have been assigned to investigate the recent
deaths. He would not say Friday whether any arrests had been made or
whether any were forthcoming.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski