ZELIENOPLE, Pa. — Several people, including a mother of three, have been charged by police in and around the city with possessing heroin that is stamped with street names linked to drugs that investigators believe have caused 22 fatal overdoses in recent weeks.
April Opperman, 41, of Zelienople, was charged with possessing heroin stamped "Theraflu" after a man who survived a Saturday overdose told police he bought the drugs from Opperman. Police said an overdose was also reported at Opperman’s home on Sunday.
“She’s been on our radar for a long time. We’re just glad we got in and got her,” Zelienople police Chief Jim Miller said.
The mother of three -- ages 6, 9 and 17 -- remained jailed Thursday.
"It's shocking," Zelienople resident Rite Kniess told Channel 11's Amy Marcinkiewicz (@WPXIAmy). "I can't believe her kids were there. I sure hope they get the help they deserve.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh police arrested two men pulled over in a car, one of whom had 36 of the "Theraflu" individual dose bags in his underwear, while officers in nearby Homestead have warrants for two men after seizing 1,500 baggies of heroin labeled "Bud Ice" from a house.
The Allegheny County medical examiner's office and other authorities have said heroin bags stamped with those names have also tested positive for fentanyl, a synthetic morphine substitute that can be up to 100 times stronger than heroin, and is being blamed for the deaths.
Investigators in Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Lawrence and Westmoreland counties were sharing information on arrests in hopes the source or sources of the deadly drugs can be traced.
Clayton McCray, 19, of Mount Oliver, and Frederick Knight Jr., of Pittsburgh, have been jailed since their arrest Tuesday when city police stopped McCray for driving with a suspended license. Officers found heroin stamped "Dope Boyz" in McCray's pockets, before finding the "Theraflu" heroin in Knight's underwear.
Meanwhile, police in neighboring Homestead have obtained arrest warrants for two men after Sunday's drug seizure, but don't plan to announce the suspects' names until they're arrested.
"I'm sure they are going to go underground," Homestead police Chief Jeffrey DeSimone said. "I don't want to make it harder to find them."
According to the Attorney General, Tywon Newby is accused of selling heroin packaged as “Sky High.” Officials said they believe “Sky High” is related to the others.
Investigators said Thursday afternoon that they believe drug dealers are re-branding the heroin because of all the warning.
Allegheny County Medical Examiner Karl Williams said that the growing number of apparent heroin overdoses is a "major public health crisis."
“I'm only at the very beginning of investigating the number of deaths,” said Williams. “It's all over Pittsburgh. It's all over Allegheny County. It's all over the surrounding counties. It's a major regional issue.”
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's laboratory has confirmed that heroin marketed as Bud Ice and Theraflu contained a form of fentanyl, an opioid painkiller that can be 100 times stronger than morphine. Doctors prescribe its legal form to cancer patients and others with chronic pain.
“Narcotics detectives and other plain-clothes detectives will continue to target neighborhoods throughout the city,” said Pittsburgh acting police Chief Regina McDonald, who added that her department is working with Allegheny County, state and federal agencies.
The Associated Press and Channel 11's news exchange partners at TribLIVE contributed to this report.
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