The Gainesville Sun – October 1 – Across Alachua County, there are clear signs of a growing opiate-abuse problem, including heroin.
By Sept. 26, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office had 12 suspected heroin cases; in 2015, the agency had five, and in 2014 it had six. Paramedics are seeing a spike in the frequency of overdoses in their emergency calls.
“Since the pain pills have gone away, drug users find heroin an easier and cheaper alternative,” Lt. Bruce Giles, with the Gainesville-Alachua County Drug Task Force, said in an email. “This is dangerous first because it is heroin, but secondly we have found that dealers are using Fentanyl in the heroin.”