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Hollywood Heroin: Lethal Heroin Strain Linked To 8 Deaths In Massachusetts

By Chanel Adams
Published on: 13:56 PST, Jan 4, 2016

The opioid crisis has gotten worse in Massachusetts. In the past week, eight people have reportedly died from a lethal strain of heroin referred to as Hollywood heroin that’s greatly increased in use in the state.

According to a CNN report, the only reason why authorities are calling the drug Hollywood heroin is because of its apparent elaborate packaging. It’s not clear how long the drug has been in the state, according to Massachusetts State Police Trooper Dustin Fitch.

The eight victims died in the cities of Chicopee, Holyoke, and Springfield, where local cops have been warning about the lethal strain so that they can help save lives. Local police seized 9,000 bags of the Hollywood heroin along with $20,000 over the past weekend, and arrested four people in connection with the drug bust.

One of those men is Juan Perez, 27, from Springfield who’s currently being held on $500,000 bail following his arrest on Saturday, January 2. Police seized 8,000 packets from Perez’s gold minivan in front of a CVS store on Belmont Avenue, according to Assistant District Attorney Cary Szafranski. Police followed Perez’s van and found that 800 packets of the Hollywood heroin were hidden inside a fake bumper.

Both local and state police are worried that there’s even more Hollywood heroin left on the streets, according to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early. He’s warning recreational drug users and addicts to stay away from the lethal strain of heroin. He’s also asking residents to keep their friends and loved ones away from the drug.

“Right now it’s killed five people within 48 hours. It’s as bad as it gets. We heard that the heroin is moving east. We have heard it has moved as far east as Boston. Don’t use heroin. But aside from that, the loved ones, the families, if anyone knows they have a family member, a friend who is using, be particularly careful.”

Early also reminded residents that the Good Samaritan Law will allow those involved with an overdose to call the police and risk not being charged with drug possession.

Since the Hollywood heroin has been seized, it’s being tested since it could be laced with a synthetic opiate called fentanyl, according to DrugAbuse.org. This drug is typically used to treat patients who experience severe pain, especially after surgery. It’s also sometimes used to help treat those with chronic pain who are often tolerant to opiates. When mixed with street-sold heroin or cocaine, it can elevate a user’s feelings and side effects.

“It operates much more quickly, shutting breathing down, relaxing the nervous system, shutting down the respiratory system, slowing down the pulse. Like we say with heroin, there’s no quality control. There’s no quality control and it can be deadly.”

But police are still investigating what makes Hollywood heroin so deadly. It could be the mixture of the chemicals, or it could be because it’s so pure that some addicts’ systems can’t handle it.

It’s bad enough that regular heroin is a huge problem in the state of Massachusetts. The news of this lethal and most potent strain is why police have decided to address the public about this drug crisis.

There’s still so much that can be done about the heroin problem in Massachusetts. The state has seen a staggering 63 percent increase in opioid-related overdoses during 2012 to 2014, according to the state’s Department of Public Health. A total of 1,089 people died during the 2014 opioid-related overdoses.

Across the nation, heroin-related deaths have increased an all-time high in 2014 and are on the rise, according to the Center for Disease Control. Deaths from overdoses of prescription drugs and heroin are the leading cause of death for Americans, rising 14 percent from 2013 to 2014.

[Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images]

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