Police: Heroin a problem on Wis.-Mich. border

Authorities said heroin is a growing problem in small towns on the Michigan-Wisconsin border as the drug arrives through dealers from Chicago and Milwaukee.

A crime tip phone line in Marinette County, Wis., has been extended across the border to Menominee County, Mich., in the Upper Peninsula. People charged with robbery are entering jail with drug addictions typically related to their crimes.

Menominee County Sheriff Kenny Marks told the Daily Press of Escanaba that caring for drug-addicted inmates strains the jail budget and staff.

In Wisconsin, Marinette County Sheriff Jerry Sauve said the heroin problem “knows no boundaries.” At least 15 people from Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois have been arrested this summer on drug-related charges.