Heroin is becoming a much bigger problem in North Texas, the Drug Enforcement Administration says, and to combat it the agency is launching a billboard campaign to crack down on dealers.
"We've seen a real increase," said Dan Salter, special agent in charge of the Dallas Field Division of the DEA. "Seizures are up 232 percent of heroin seized along the Mexican border, which is an indicator that there are more people now abusing heroin than we saw in the past."
The DEA is placing billboard messages along several North Texas highways urging people to pass along anonymous tips about distributors.
"Our focus of our investigations are the sources of supply of heroin from Mexico, along the U.S. border and certainly here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area," said Salter.
Many people start using heroin after first abusing pain killers, he explained.
"This perception that I can take prescription medicine because a doctor gave it to my mom it must be OK for me to take, that's what's perceived, and then ultimately it leads into an addiction that's psychologically dependent, and we have a problem on our hands with a young adult," said Salter.
The biggest age group at risk for heroin addiction is people from 17 to 35 years old.
A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found the number of heroin deaths in 28 states doubled from 2010 to 2012, driven by an increased supply and the widespread abuse of pain killers.
There are three ways to send in a tip:
- Call 972-929-7809
- Text 847-411
- Or go online to www.dea.gov/dallas
