Friendswood police cracking down on heroin use

FRIENDSWOOD, TX (KTRK) -- Police are hoping a drug arrest in Friendswood will have implications beyond getting just one accused criminal in prison.

Two years ago, police established a task force to tackle what seemed to be a growing heroin problem among teens. They believe they've made a lot of progress, including Wednesday's arrest, although it also confirms the drug is still in demand there.

While suburban and quaint, Friendswood also has its share of big city crime. And early Wednesday morning, the focus was on an accused drug pusher in possession of about 7 grams of heroin.

"He's the one that's delivering it down at the street level," Friendswood Police Department Chief Robert Wieners said.

According to Friendswood police, officers interrupted a drug deal in the 3300 block of FM 528 early Wednesday morning. They arrested Isaac Dominguez, whom they say admitted to being a user. But they also believe he's a major supplier in the area.

Heroin use has been back on the radar in Friendswood since a Christmas Eve fatal overdose.

"We are certainly very well aware of the heroin trafficking that's going on," Wieners said.

The last time we talked to police there about heroin was two years ago when they were seeing more and more teenagers using what's called black tar heroin, a less refined version. Here, it was being used in liquid form that can be sniffed from an eyedropper.

"Without the needles, that makes it a lot more acceptable," Mark Norris said.

Norris is a licensed clinical social worker for Cenikor Foundation. They treat a lot of heroin addicts. He says liquid heroin has less of a stigma but still comes with all the dangers.

"The thing about it is you never know the potency of it. You might do X quantity for two weeks and then X quantity the next week kills you," Norris said.

Norris says dealers market to teens and even though police have made this arrest.

"There's always somebody waiting in line for that market. Those drugs will get there," Norris said.

Dominguez told officers he's a train conductor. The amount of drugs he had on him, police say, was worth about $500 on the street.

Again, they say he's a major supplier so they hope his arrest will puts a dent in the current trade.

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