HEROIN PROBLEM ON THE RISE, POLICE SAY

Recent incidents have led police to conclude that heroin has become
more readily available to teenagers in the East Aurora area. "It's
something I never thought we would have a problem with," Police Chief
William D. Nye said in an interview this week.

But recent arrests and medical calls indicate that more teenagers are
likely buying and using the drug.

For the second time, police arrested an 18-year-old Kelver Court man
for allegedly possessing an undisclosed amount of heroin, a highly
addictive illegal drug.

Michael J. Caraotta of 49 Kelver Court was charged with two counts of
seventh degree criminal possession of a controlled substance after
police Tues., Sept. 28 executed a search warrant at his home.

"This is the second such search warrant executed at this residence
within the last eight months," Detective Tom Hassett reported.

Caraotta was arraigned in Aurora Town Court and taken to the Erie
County Holding Center in lieu of $1,000 bail.

Police believe Coraotta was supplying local youth with the drug.
Recent investigations have led police to believe that local drug
dealers are purchasing the drugs in the City of Buffalo. "That's what
this kid was doing," Nye said of Caraotta.

Though all illegal drugs have been available to some extent locally,
Nye and other authorities are concerned about the increasing
availability of heroin, which has come down in price in recent years.
As a result, teens have moved from marijuana to more addictive drugs
such as heroin.

Police described the local drug trade as a secretive underground
effort, but one that has attracted an even younger clientele.

An increasing number of heroin overdoses have been reported in the
village the past six months. In one instance, worried friends called
emergency medical personnel when a man became unresponsive while
sitting on a couch.

The inhaled form of heroin seems more popular in East Aurora than the
injected form, authorities said. Still, authorities warn parents of
the potential for other problems, such as unwanted pregnancies and
motor vehicle accidents, which often result from drug use of any kind.

"This messes people up," said Nye, East Aurora's first Drug Abuse
Resistance Education officer. "It changes their behavior and leads to
other problems."

Telltale signs of drug use by a youth include a change in behavior, a
shift in his or her group of friends or the need for extra spending
money for unexplained reasons, Nye said.

Recent studies suggest a shift from injecting heroin to snorting or
smoking because of increased purity and the misconception that these
forms are safer.

Heroin is processed from morphine, a naturally occurring substance
extracted from the seedpod of the Asian poppy plant. Heroin usually
appears as a white or brown powder. Street names for heroin include
"smack," "H," "skag," and "junk."

In addition to the effects of the drug itself, street heroin may have
additives that do not readily dissolve and result in clogging the
blood vessels that lead to the lungs, liver, kidneys or brain.