The number of fatal heroin overdoses in Montgomery County, Md., since March equals the number in the county in 2010, 2011 and 2012 combined, according to Montgomery County police.
The seven deaths – six since the beginning of June – prompted an investigation.
The deaths aren’t clustered in a particular area, occurring all over the county, and the deceased range in age from 19 to 45, police said.
“The dangers of using illegal drugs are always present but this recent spike in deaths attributed to heroin is particularly alarming,” Capt. Marcus Jones said.
Heroin-related seizures also have increased, according to Capt. Nancy Demme.
Demme said other jurisdictions in the area have seen increases in heroin activity.
“We are sharing information with other jurisdictions on these cases,” she said. “This is not a problem that is confined to Montgomery County.”
