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Heroin: From Prescription To Addiction (Part 7)

BOSTON (CBS) - The illegal drug market in the U.S. is estimated to be between $400 and $500 billion a year, and that's on the conservative side. In part 7 of her week-long series, WBZ's Mary Blake has a dealer's perspective.

Sergeant Eric Locke at the Worcester County Correction Center demonstrates how a GPS monitoring bracelet is tracked. "They are monitored on every five minutes," Locke says.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Mary Blake reports

Heroin: From Prescription To Addiction (Part 7)

The centers are diversionary programs. Worcester County Sheriff Lew Evangelidis says only non-violent offenders are eligible.

"The concept is: save the taxpayer money and give you resources to turn your life around and if you screw up, you'll go to prison," Evangelidis says.

'David' is an inmate taking part. He performs community service, attends classes, and holds down two jobs. The jobs are a far cry from his previous work.

Read More: Heroin From Prescription To Addiction

"To be honest what I make in one week, I would have made it in like an hour," he says.

David was arrested with 900 Percocet's or Perc 30's in his possession, and sentenced to 18 months for intent to distribute. David admitted to a lengthy history dealing drugs.

"When I was 18 I started selling weed from that I just felt like it wasn't enough money so I started selling heroin, next thing you know I had like a little store going on," he says.

David says he never took drugs, but loved the adrenaline involved in dealing drugs, snapping his fingers as he described it.

"It's like a rush," he explains. "It's just like knowing that you're on the go; knowing that that phone is calling like that phone is constantly ringing."

He also enjoyed the lifestyle.

"I got to that point. I had a nice car. It was all money."

David says he never thought about the people who he was dealing drugs to. "I didn't feel nothing," he says. "No matter what, nobody is going to be able to stop the drug business in the streets."

But he says the birth of his son changed everything.

"I saw life way differently," he says. "It wasn't about me no more so in a way I thank God for pretty much getting caught."

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