After a series of heroin arrests, Howard County police are cracking down on those who supply it.
Police say they are trying to stay ahead of the heroin and opioid problem. In the past few weeks, they've made several arrests.
"So this was three separate cases. They all happened within the last few weeks and in each case, we were able to arrest multiple drug dealers and get them off the streets," said Sherri Llewellyn with the Howard County police.
Police are looking for different strategies to help curb the severe heroin problem in the county.
"This is not a problem that we can enforce our way out of," Llewellyn said. "It's got to be a multifaceted approach. So we're partnering with groups like the heath department and the fire department to look at this from a prevention point of view and a recovery point of view in addition to enforcement from the police department."
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Howard County, like other jurisdictions in the state are on pace for recording-setting numbers of heroin deaths.
"Heroin overdose cases are rapidly increasing. So far this year in Howard County we've had 18 fatal overdose cases and more than 70 non-fatal overdoses," Llewellyn said. "The use of narcan helps because we are able to revive people who are overdosing. the problem is that often times those people overdose time and again and we find ourselves in that situation, a cycle we are hoping we can break through with new strategies."
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The Howard County Police Department has added new strategies and more personnel to fight the epidemic.
