POTENT HEROIN HITS ABBOTSFORD STREETS

Heroin addicts in Abbotsford are frightened for their lives after
seeing several of their own almost die.

The users are so scared they have spoken directly with police about
the problem. Over the past few days, Abbotsford Drug Squad members
have had direct conversations with users about heroin with a
potentially deadly level of purity being pushed into the downtown core
of the city, where the bulk of addicts congregate to score and shoot
up.

Const. Ian MacDonald with the Abbotsford Police Department said
hardened junkies had serious enough reactions to the spiked drug that
users shooting up with those affected thought they had died.

Slipping lethal doses of heroin into an established drug venue could
herald a new dealer looking to expand territory said MacDonald.

"It's indicative of drug marketing, I don't know how else to say it.
"Heroin is addictive as it is, but part of a marketing strategy a drug
dealer might use is to have a stronger product to lure or hook users."

MacDonald said this type of information usually filters down to police
from EHA (ambulance) responders or the hospital concerning an
increased number of transports of drug-related incidents.

"Either someone is trying to create new customers, or steal new
customers," he said. "[This heroin] potentially could cause permanent
[physical] damage or death," he said. Concern for this segment of the
population is the sole motivator for getting this information out said
MacDonald, "We know the drug dealers are not going to be sending that
message out."

He indicated the fact that heroin users and addicts had approached
police about the problem, something he described as
"uncharacteristic," showed how serious the situation was, and he felt
obligated to get the word out immediately in an effort to save lives.
"At the end of the day these are people in our community."

Anyone with information is asked to call the Abbotsford Police Drug
Enforcement Unit at 604-859-5225.