Franklin County is cracking down on the drug problem in North Country. Tuesday morning, 12 people were arrested for either selling or possessing illegal drugs. The arrests are the result of ongoing narcotics investigations by local and state police. As our Cara Thomas tells us, authorities are trying to raise awareness about the area's growing problem.

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FRANKLIN COUNTY, N.Y. -- Authorities in Franklin County say the drug problems in the North Country are spreading.

"They're coming up from Syracuse, they're coming up from Albany, they're coming up from New York City with their product on weekends or biweekly to distribute in this county which is obviously very alarming," said Franklin County District Attorney Derek Champage.

In the last year and a half, police say they've seen city drug dealers expanding their business to rural towns and authorities are blaming it in part on the elimination of the strict Rockefeller laws.

"There's been new sentencing, it's changed under the last governor and it's a lot more lenient. Definitely more in favor of the people selling the drugs. And it doesn't matter if it's oxycoton or crack cocaine, it has the same affect on our community," Malone Police Chief Christopher Premo said.

But controlled substances aren't the only issue. Even though synthetic drugs were outlawed by the DEA last year. A new form of synthetic marijuana is beginning to spread in the area.

"What they've been able to do is have chemists alter the substances by one molecule or two molecules so that the DEA ban won't apply," Champage said.

Police know of a few stores selling these new kinds of drugs, specifically, a store on Main Street in Malone. Police say the store is selling bath salts, which are actually synthetic marijuana. But because the drug isn't technically outlawed, the police can't make any arrests for selling it.

Champage said, "This is a substance that children are smoking, are inhaling, it is toxic, it is potentially deadly and before we get the legislation it would be a travesty if someone else overdoses or someone dies from this product."

Champagne says because the creation of synthetic drugs is spreading, he expects the number of overdoses and fatalities to rise.