BSERGENT@MYDAILYSENTINEL.COM

ATHENS — An Athens County Grand Jury has indicted a Syracuse man on charges of possession of heroin and trafficking in heroin, according to the bill of indictment filed last week in Athens County Common Pleas Court.

Curtis S. Neigler, 26, Syracuse, was arrested last month after a routine traffic stop made by a trooper with the Athens Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. According to a Post spokesperson, the stop occurred on US 33 near the Chauncey exit and was initially made due to the cracked windshield of a vehicle Neigler was riding in. As the traffic stop ensued, the spokesperson said 88 balloons of suspected heroin were allegedly recovered from Neigler. At that time, Neigler was initially charged in Athens County Court with trafficking in drugs, heroin, as well as possession of drugs, heroin. Since these are felonies, the charges were dismissed in county court and later presented to a grand jury which returned the indictment containing the felonies of the third degree.

As previously reported, a bust of 88 balloons of alleged heroin was considered “significant” according to the OSHP spokesperson.

A number of law enforcement officials are seeing an upswing in heroin usage in the area due in large part to the skyrocketing street prices of OxyContin which was repackaged by drug company Purdue Pharma to make it more difficult to abuse - i.e., more difficult to be broken, chewed or dissolved by addicts who crave a heroin-like high. Addicts are bypassing OxyContin for the more “cost effective” high of real heroin which is actually significantly cheaper than OxyContin on the streets.

Neigler remains in the custody of the Southeast Ohio Regional Jail.