Police worry over increased heroin use

SEYMOUR, Ind. (WISH) - On the heels of a heroin arrest in Southern Indiana on Wednesday, Indiana State Police officials are warning of the increasing popularity of the drug.

Troopers are extremely worried about the increase of heroin use in the state of Indiana. Indiana State Police officials call it the most abused narcotic and said its use seems to be on the rise in the streets of Indiana.

On Wednesday, a trooper stopped 21-year-old Ubaldo Lopez-Gonzalez, of Indianapolis, for a minor traffic violation in Seymour. When the officer was issuing the ticket, he noticed suspicious behavior by Lopez-Gonzalez, who was on the phone talking about a "meeting place" with an unidentified individual.

The trooper assumed the call was regarding a drug deal, and went to the location. After receiving a tip from the suspect about Lopez-Gonzalez carrying the heroin in his mouth, police obtained a search warrant for him. Lopez-Gonzalez was then transported to Schneck Memorial Hospital in Seymour, where they found seven balloons of powder heroin in his system.

Lopez-Gonzalez was in Jackson County Jail Friday facing several felony charges. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was notified after the investigation revealed Lopez-Gonzalez was a Mexican National in the U.S. illegally.

According to state police, in 2011 heroin was the second most purchased drug by Indiana State Police undercover officers. As police more strictly enforce illegal use of prescription drugs, they said heroin has taken its place.