CHARLOTTE'S SHERIFF SAYS HEROIN USE IS INCREASING IN COUNTY

Charlotte County - Authorities are concerned about a rise in heroin
use in the county, where four men have been charged with dealing
heroin in the past two weeks.

Sheriff Bill Cameron said Wednesday at an anti-drug alliance meeting
that local heroin use is increasing. Sheriff-elect John Davenport has
promised to hire more detectives for the agency's narcotics unit.

Deputies on Wednesday arrested Kalier Rosado, 20, of Port Charlotte,
on charges of trafficking heroin and cocaine. Rosado was being held at
the county jail Thursday with bail set at $750,000.

His father, Edwin Rosado, was under investigation for heroin and
cocaine trafficking before he died in a fiery crash on Nov. 27, 2002.
While driving at more than 130 mph on Tamiami Trail, Edwin Rosado
slammed his silver convertible into the rear of a sheriff's patrol
car.

Authorities said they collected more than 31 grams of heroin and 121
grams of cocaine Wednesday when they arrested Kalier Rosado. They also
took $2,000 from him.

In the past two weeks, undercover narcotics detectives also arrested
three other Port Charlotte men on numerous heroin and cocaine charges,
including sale and delivery of a controlled substance.

Authorities booked Junior Berrios, 34, Jose Arberto Carrion, 38, and
Luis Bosque Gandarilla, 30.

"Big, big arrests," remarked Amity Chandler, director of the Charlotte
Alliance for a Safe and Drug Free Community. "This is a big deal, and
it is concerning."

Deputy David Sonne was following Rosado's black Volkswagen Jetta on
Wednesday on Midway Boulevard in Port Charlotte when he said the car's
right tires crossed over the outside line. Sonne called for two
officers to back him up as he pulled Rosado over.

Rosado allowed the officers to search his car, according to Sonne's
report. They found cocaine in four plastic bags stuffed in a duffel
bag underneath the front passenger seat. More than 31 grams of heroin
were hidden in the bottom of a Cheez Curls container.

Drug trafficking is a first-degree felony that carries a maximum
prison term of 30 years. Rosado is scheduled for arraignment Dec. 13
in circuit court.

While heroin has been popular in urban areas for many years, it's also
available throughout Florida, with the highest concentration in the
southern and central parts of the state, according to the federal Drug
Enforcement Administration.

Miami International Airport is a major gateway for South American
heroin distribution. The majority of heroin in the Fort Myers area
comes through Miami. Most of the heroin activity in Southwest Florida
is street-level, the DEA says.

Hospital admissions and overdose deaths show heroin abuse is on the
rise in Florida, according to a study by the National Drug
Intelligence Center.