GRANITE CITY, Ill. (KMOV) -- Heroin use is rising in St. Louis suburbs, and it’s becoming the drug of choice.
According to officials, heroin-related overdoses and deaths have spiked from last year.
In Madison County, Ill. the number of deaths caused by the drug have doubled since 2010.
After three men from Granite City Tuesday were found dealing the drug, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced it will start investigating heroin overdoses as an attempted homicide.
Anyone who is caught distributing the drug to someone who overdoses could face a minimum of 20 years in prison. The maximum sentence would be life in prison.
The three suspects from Granite City caught distributing heroin could be the first prosecuted in federal court for the offense.
