WARNING ISSUED AFTER BAD HEROIN HITS KELOWNA

For the second time in two months, drug users in Kamloops have been
put on notice about a deadly batch of dope that could be hitting the
streets.

In this latest case, the concern for outreach workers is an extremely
potent batch of heroin from Kelowna.

"My guess is, if they are seeing it down there - with the proximity
between [Kamloops and Kelowna] - we'll see that same heroin [here],"
Bob Hughes, executive director of the AIDS Society of Kamloops, told
KTW.

While cases of the potent drug have turned up in the Okanagan city,
Hughes said it hasn't yet arrived in Kamloops.

ASK has put up warning notes at its office on Tranquille Road and has
notified anyone who uses its needle exchange about the questionable
drugs.

In March, a tainted cluster of crack appeared to take the lives of two
people in the city within two days.

Kamloops RCMP attributed the deaths to a bad batch of cocaine on the
streets.

At the time, police said they had a few leads on who might be selling
the deadly drugs, but no arrests were ever made.

The use of opiates like heroin and prescription drugs such as
OxyContin has been on the upswing in recent years, becoming
increasingly popular among drug users here in Kamloops.

Hughes said ASK has seen a spike in the number of people using its
needle-exchange program.

More than 1,000 needles are swapped each month and he estimates there
could be 400 to 500 active heroin users in the city.

In the 1990s, a super-potent batch of heroin known as "China White"
made the rounds on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, killing dozens.

It also made its way to Kamloops, killing two people.