Investigators Raid Alleged Heroin Suppliers

FOLSOM (CBS13) -- Authorities carried out raids on a suspected heroin supplier this week in an effort to stem the surging popularity of the cheap drug.

The Folsom Police Department said 31-year-old Shamia Ingram and 40-year-old Jermaine Ellison were arrested Thursday after three quarters of a pound of tar heroin was found at their home on the 7400 block of Winkley Way. Investigators also found other narcotics and $5,600 in cash.

The drugs seized in the raids are worth about $22,000, investigators said.

Police said heroin was a rarely-encountered drug in Folsom neighborhoods several years ago, but when the economy soured, addicts shifted to the cheaper and easily obtainable heroin for their fix.

The drug is especially popular with teens and adults in their early 20s, authorities said. Heroin costs less than $10 for a dose, while prescription opiates can cost $80 for a single pill.

The proliferation of heroin has also been linked to an increase in crime, authorities said.

Ingram and Ellison are facing charges of heroin possession, marijuana possession and child endangerment.