Police warn of heroin in area causing more overdoses

ATTLEBORO, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- Attleboro police are warning area residents that a high-purity batch of heroin is making its way around the area, which they believe could be causing an increase in overdoses.

At least a dozen overdoses were reported in Attleboro in January, and one caused the death of a 28-year-old woman, according to an article in the Attleboro Sun Chronicle.

Other nearby towns of Norton and Taunton have also seen an upswing in heroin trafficking and overdoses. Last week, Salem Police issued a warning against a batch of heroin they believed had come from Lawrence that caused three people to overdose in two days.

An article in the New York Times on Tuesday mentioned the death of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman on Sunday, who apparently died of a heroin overdose in his apartment. The article stated that heroin seizures in New York are up in recent years, and that recently, more powerful batches of the drug, mixed with the opiate fentanyl, have caused an increase in overdoses in Pittsburgh and New York City.

Additionally, the article noted, oftentimes heroin produced in New York City makes its way up to New England to be sold and distributed.

Cox Media Group