Police: Saugus drug use means misery

SAUGUS – Heroin, marijuana, Percocet – these powerful drugs, among others, are seeping into town and tempting the minds of teenagers one by one.?They are so eager (to try them) and aren?t afraid of anything,” said Detective Sean Moynihan of the Saugus police drug unit. “There?s a pill for everything and our kids are into it.”Rampant drug sales in the town?s seedy underbelly were discussed Monday night at a Neighborhood Watch meeting, where more than a dozen people gathered to learn telltale signs and warnings of drug users.One by one, Moynihan passed around samples of seized drugs around the room to show the different colors and textures of heroin, cocaine and pills, along with the varying scents of marijuana, to show what?s out on the streets and alluring to teens.?We try to get seventh- and eighth-grade students to see the drugs and know what they look like so that if they are approached, they?ll recognize them and know that an aspirin isn?t green with the letters OC (Oxycontin) on it,” he said.One of the more popular drugs of choice, marijuana, has evolved over the years, with some expertly grown and other less expensive types sprinkled with acetone, Drano, cocaine and heroin to achieve the same high.?We recently had two grow houses in town, with one of them growing the most sought-after weed in the world (Hydroponic marijuana) that was selling for $4,000-$8,000 a pound,” he said. “One bud in a pipe and you would be on the ground because it?s 25 times stronger than it used to be.”According to Moynihan, students in area schools have told him that they would rather be stoned than drunk because they don?t feel hungover the next day.?When kids say that, it?s a concern, because kids who use marijuana are more likely to use heroin,” he said. “And anyone who has used heroin, has used cocaine and eaten pills. There?s definitely a connection.”Often times, Moynihan said teens who use drugs say they got into the market from their girlfriends, boyfriends and most commonly, their siblings.?Misery loves company,” he said.Another drug making a comeback is cocaine, which Moynihan said makes the user paranoid and speeds up their heart rate. And then with cocaine, comes crack.?Most of the drugs sold in town come from Lynn and nine out of 10 are sold by Dominican males,” he said. “It?s tough?very difficult to catch them.”Oxycontin pills, which Moynihan said typically go for $75-$80 a pop, have over time created a $900 billion industry. The drug, which acts as a synthetic form of heroin, is often chewed or snorted for a faster high. However, now that the pharmaceutical trade has made safeguards on Oxycontin, Moynihan said Percocet 30 has become the new rage.But of all of the drugs on the black market, Moynihan said the most addictive one is heroin.?When users can?t afford Oxycontin anymore, they switch to heroin,” he said. “With a bag running between $30-$50 a hit, users begin robbing and selling their bodies in order to buy more. Males and females, they?ll become gay for the day, whatever it takes to get it.”Despite drugs rampantly being sold in town, Moynihan said schools have always fared well during random drug scans.?They have an outstanding track record when we do dog searches,” he said. “There are kids who do heroin, weed and are pill users, but they don?t get it at school. They?re terrified of us and Superintendent (Richard) Langlois is tough as nails if they are caught.”