State Troopers recently announced the arrest of six suspected drug dealers in Kasilof, but illicit drug use continues to rise across the state.
State Troopers last week released the 2014 Statewide Drug Report. Lt. Rex Leath noted the use of drugs is up overall, especially when it comes to heroin…
Lt. Leath: “The value of heroin, the street price of it, which is fairly high, in Alaska last year, heroin led in dollar amount, as far as quantities seized or intercepted. Just below $12 million as a whole from the stats that we provided in this year’s report. That $12 million equates to employment finances, as well as nefarious finances that were collected through burglaries and thefts and that translates into property crimes against people who have nothing to do with the drug trade other than just that their property’s being stolen to fund someone’s addiction to the drug at hand. In this case, predominately we see it as heroin.”
Lt. Leath said dealers and traffickers are transporting heroin in smaller amounts than they’re used to seeing, which makes it more difficult to trace and intercept the drug.
