While alcohol, domestic violence and marijuana-related crimes still keep police busy, another alarming element has reared its ugly head in the last year – Heroin. Local law enforcement agencies have made dozens of arrests in 2009 involving the resurgence of heroin in Chenango County.
“Most of what we’re seeing has been happening since late winter of 2008. Basically there’s a lot more prevalence of heroin on streets,” said Acting Chenango County Sheriff Ernie R. Cutting. “Currently about half of the calls received in our detective’s division involve crimes directly or indirectly related to heroin.”
Norwich City Police Chief Joseph Angelino agrees. “The department hasn’t seen this level of heroin activity since sometime in the 1970s,” he said.
On Sept. 30 the city police and the New York State Police joined forces to raid a Norwich residence on Lee Avenue suspected of trafficking heroin and charged two people with high level felonies – 39-year-old David A. Cahill and his 21-year-old live-in girlfriend, Rachael A. Cummings.
Since Sept. 19, the Sheriff’s Office and the Norwich Police have charged seven different people with possession of heroin; two of those were felony level arrests.
“There’s a lot more crime you’re seeing that’s related to individuals seeking out the drugs or a means to pay for them,” said Cutting.
The Sheriff said in addition to an increasing trend of heroin arrests, his office has also seen a simultaneous increase in burglaries and larcenies.
In July, a rash of crimes – including several auto thefts, a home burglary, and a number of vehicle break-ins – occurred in the Chenango Lake area over a three-week period.
In another case, two suspects allegedly victimized more than 21 people in the Towns of Norwich, North Norwich and Plymouth by stealing items from their unlocked cars over a month-long spree. Investigators also believe the crimes were motivated by a need for drugs.
The sheriff said “car shopping” was a popular crime for many substance abusers looking to make a fast buck by stealing an iPod, GPS or similar device from inside an unlocked car.
“We can’t yet confirm that theses cases involved heroin, but this is the sort of activity that has been on the rise,” explained Cutting.
“They just move on down the street. If this one’s locked, they go to the next,. If that one’s not locked, they take whatever they can find inside,” said Sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Richard Cobb.
“Some of the most common consequences for a heroin user are legal issues and the drug itself can be expensive. People who are using often can spend 150 to 250 dollars a day on the drug. They steal, break in people’s homes, turn to forms of prostitution and will do just about anything else to get the drug,” said Chenango County and Family Court Drug Treatment Coordinator James Everard.
The most recent September drug raid resulted in Cahill and Cummings having identical charges of third degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a class B felony, filed against them. The crime carries a maximum sentence of up to 15 years in state prison and police seized about $180 worth of packaged heroin. The investigation spanned the summer months and included police surveillance that allegedly recorded the couple selling heroin out of their home.
Heroin generally appears as brown or white powder. Cutting pointed out that on most occasions his office was only encountering a white substance, similar to baking soda in consistency and appearance.
The drug is typically received in small amounts – often less than a tablespoon, wrapped in wax paper.
Everard said the sugar packet-sized portions often weight less than a gram and cost between 20 and 25 dollars. Users usually only get one dose per packet, he added.
