Nine people have died of drug overdoses in the past 10 days on Staten Island, law enforcement sources told NBC 4 New York.
One of the fatal overdoses happened in the bathroom of a mall in the borough, the sources said.
Heroin was found at eight of the nine overdoses, the sources said, and investigators are concerned with the possibility there was a "bad batch" distributed on the island.
The I-Team has been tracking for months how law enforcement is trying to stem the tide of the deadly drug.
"This has gone from being an epidemic to a plague on our community," Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon told NBC 4 New York on Monday.
"We're working with police to investigate every overdose," he said.
McMahon has been pushing to get more funding for heroin investigations and enforcement. The funds have come through, but demand for and the quantity of heroin on Staten Island remains high.
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There's also a new concern: the CDC and DEA are warning about fentanyl overdoses. The drug has been used in counterfeit pills and batches of heroin, and it can be deadly.
Gus Montagino of Dongan Hills said he sees firsthand how widespread the problem has become.
"Staten Island has a lot of dead ends," he said on the boardwalk of South Beach. "And they're pulling in with cars, they're using the needles. Bags, needles thrown out the car, and then they pull away."
Six people were recently arrested in South Beach a few weeks ago, part of a series of heroin busts.
