The Nation : Heroin Seizure a Record

Federal drug agents and Louisiana troopers raided a hotel in Dallas and confiscated 23 1/2 pounds of Mexican “black tar” heroin worth $20 million in street sales. It was the largest seizure of the drug in U.S. history, officials said. Five people were arrested. Louisiana State Police Col. Wiley McCormick said the raid followed a yearlong investigation. Black tar heroin, which gets its name because it is dark brown to black and hard, is up to 45 times as pure as conventional Mexican heroin and has accounted for scores of deaths among addicts, health officials have said.