Neighbors phoned the police about a parking dispute with residents of an Albuquerque 55th Avenue home. What they found next surprised them.
Ten adults were living in the home without heat, running water, or natural gas. The squatters had hacked in to the electrical box with a hacksaw to steal electricity, but without other services available, the house quickly dropped to deplorable conditions. Everyone in the home was under the influence of one drug or another.
According to Albuquerque Police Officer Joe Martinez, “(There was) no water to even flush a toilet or wash your hands with — and you’ve got 10 adult people (at the residence).”
To add insult to injury, the squatters were heavy heroin users. When police entered the house, they discovered the home was overrun with used needles and with needles still loaded with black tar heroin. The conditions were so terrible that investigators had a difficult time investigating the crime scene; the dangerous needles, many uncapped, impeded their progress.
Three squatters were arrested on outstanding warrants when the police arrived, and the owner of the home has been contacted to perform a clean-up of his property.
Unfortunately, the heroin addiction that led these ten squatters to live in such deplorable conditions is all too common. Heroin addiction can be extremely difficult to break, but it is possible. With the help of drug treatment centers like Vista Taos in New Mexico, addicts can break free of their heroin addiction. Hopefully, with the help of a treatment center, the ten individuals found squatting at this residence can receive the necessary assistance to transcend heroin addiction.
When using needles to inject drugs, the user runs so many risks, not just the possibility of overdosing on the heroin. There is a chance that injection sites can become infected; this can be so bad that it results in amputation of the limb. Dirty needles and needle sharing is also how many users end up with auto-immune diseases like HIV/AIDs and Hepatitis C.
Heroin is a deadly drug, quite possibly the most dangerous drug being used at this moment. Please seek help immediately if you or a loved one needs assistance with heroin treatment. Inpatient treatment can save your life. Contact Vista Taos to learn more about the detox and treatment options for heroin.
