Heroin

Over 30 balloons of heroin were confiscated in two separate arrests by Glendale Police Department last week. According to Officer John Balian, the first arrests occurred at 8:30 p.m. on May 14 when a citizen hailed a patrol officer and told him there were four to five teenagers at the rear of the residence in the 3200 block that were ?up to no good.? ?The officers contacted five teens and noticed nine small colored balloons in the immediate area where they were detained,? Balian said.

Over 30 balloons of heroin were confiscated in two separate arrests by Glendale Police Department on Wednesday and Thursday. According to Officer John Balian, the first arrests occurred at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday when a citizen hailed a patrol officer and told him there were four to five teenagers at the rear of the residence in the 3200 block that were "up to no good." "The officers contacted five teens and noticed nine small colored balloons in the immediate area where they were detained," Balian said.

In our goal to inform the community of a growing concern over heroin use in the area, the Valley Sun continues to interview those who are on the front lines of drug prevention, rehabilitation and law enforcement. ? There is no getting around the fact that heroin is an addictive drug. Whether it is injected or smoked, it gets into the system and wraps around the users body and soul. Heroin slows down the central nervous system. It can cause the heart rate to slow and impairs blood pressure.

LA CRESCENTA — Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station officials confirmed community concerns Thursday night that drug activity has been increasing in the past five years. While drug activity has increased in the Crescenta Valley, sheriff’s station Capt. Dave Silversparre said at the Crescenta Valley Drug & Alcohol Prevention Coalition meeting that the issue is not rampant. “If it was out of control in the La Crescenta area, I think we would have seen an increase in calls for service,” he said.

This is the third in a four part series exploring the impacts of heroin use on the greater Glendale area. On a Friday morning at the New Way Foundation rehab facility in Burbank, 20 men slowly crowd into a room. The stark white walls are covered in motivational posters. The blue door swings back and they sit down. Their offenses are varied. For some it's alcohol, for others heroin. For a few, cocaine or meth. Their backgrounds are varied too: They're Armenian, Indian, Latino, biracial and white.

Van Nuys men are suspected to be runners for a major supplier of heroin to city of Glendale. GLENDALE -- Police arrested two men on drug charges Wednesday, who they believe are runners for a major heroin supplier to Glendale. Van Nuys residents Pablo Lopez, 35, and Oscar Gonzalez, 41, will be arraigned today in Van Nuys Superior Court. They were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of possession of cocaine and heroin, and suspicion of possession of cocaine and heroin for sale, Glendale Police Sgt. Jack Meier said.

Police arrested three men on Monday after allegedly finding more than $400,000 worth of drugs, including opium, heroin and methamphetamine, inside their Los Angeles apartment. Brian Garcia, 25, Erick Gastelum, 28, and Jose Garcia, 50, were taken into custody about 4 p.m. on suspicion of possessing drugs for sale, Glendale police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. “They ran the gamut when it came to the drugs,” he said. Narcotics detectives seized 20 pounds of opium, two pounds of heroin, 1 1/2 pounds of methamphetamine, a pound of marijuana and a gram of cocaine inside their apartment in the 6600 block of North Figueroa Street, Lorenz said.

"People love to go through other people's homes. I guess it's a form of voyeurism, to see how someone else lives, what their decor is like, how they entertain. It's like peeking through the looking glass and it's so much fun." ? Spring Home Tour co-chair Cam Eberhardt, on the appeal of the popular fundraiser for La Cañada High School. "Drug use at the high school has dramatically gone down. Heroin and coke was prevalent but now I can't tell you one person who does heroin or coke.

This is the last in a four-part series exploring the impacts of heroin use on the greater Glendale area. In 1897, German chemist Heinrich Dreser catapulted two drugs to international fame, making the Bayer pharmaceutical company a household name. One was aspirin. The other, heroin, marketed as a cough suppressant, was an alternative to morphine and its addictive qualities. It only took a year for the truth to unravel. Bayer stopped making heroin in 1913, and the drug's sale and manufacture were banned by Congress in 1924, but the chaos had already been created.

Lives ravaged by heroin. Kids sniffing body sprays and dust removers to get high. Think you know what “bath crystals” are for? Think again. It seems every week, there's a new drug trend, a new method for getting high. Unfortunately, the ever-changing landscape of drug use continually challenges our youth - and the adults charged with their safety. If our series on heroin use by columnist Liana Aghajanian is any indication, we haven't been strong enough to stem the tide.