Westchester anti-heroin campaign nets 125 in past year

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Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Major heroin bust in northern Westchester
Marcus Solis has details on the arrests of 21 people, and the growing heroin problem in Westchester County.

WHITE PLAINS -- A major anti-drug operation was carried out in Westchester County Tuesday morning, as 20 people were arrested for selling heroin in the latest bust in a year-long investigation.

A task force involving local police, county police and the FBI was formed in early 2014 after a surge in heroin use and overdoses, and officers have been quietly rounding up suspects throughout the year.

This raid netted suspects in Peekskill and other towns in northern Westchester, with some of those arrests taking place at Bowman Towers, a public housing complex near downtown.

So far, more than 125 people have been arrested as part of the initiative focusing on street-level dealers and their suppliers.

The drug's low price led to a surge in overdose deaths.

Some of those arrested our named in a federal indictment as higher-ups in the chain, as police try to break the ring.