3 Heroin Overdose Deaths Occur In 24 Hours On Staten Island
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Despite a crackdown by police and the district attorney's office, the heroin epidemic continues to hold its deadly grip Staten Island.
This year alone, the borough has seen 70 fatal heroin overdoses with three occurring within a 24-hour period this past weekend, 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck reported.
The recent deaths come days after authorities arrested six suspected heroin dealers following a five-month investigation.
"Stemming the flow of dangerous narcotics in our communities is the only way we will ever rid Staten Island of this drug scourge," District Attorney Michael E. McMahon said after the arrests. "My office will continue working with our partners in the NYPD to ensure that those responsible for flooding our streets with deadly heroin are held accountable for their actions."
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One Staten Island resident, whose 28-year-old nephew recently died from a heroin overdose, said the situation is out of control.
"It's an epidemic out there, it's horrible," the man said. "The police are handcuffed they really can't do nothing anymore. You have to go back to stricter policing, really go attack these guys and they're not doing it."