PORTLAND – The number of armed robberies grew 10 percent last year in Maine, and the dangerous trend is being fueled in part by drug addicts desperate to fund their habits, law enforcement officials say.

Preliminary statistics compiled by the Maine Department of Public Safety show that the number of armed robberies grew from 288 in 2004 to 318 last year. And the trend has continued with a spate of armed robberies continuing in 2006.

“Were this trend to continue, it is just a matter of time before an innocent bystander is caught in the crossfire,” said Public Safety Commissioner Michael Cantara.

Since November, there have been a dozen bank robberies and a similar number of convenience store and pharmacy robberies across Maine. One of them, the robbery of a pharmacy in Wiscasset, led to a high-speed chase and a shootout in which the suspect was killed.

On Tuesday, a Portland man became the fifth person to be charged with bank robbery in Maine in the past six weeks. Ryan Bennett, 28, told police he used the money for alcohol and a trip to New York, and he said he hoped to get help for mental illness and for his drug problem, according to court documents.

Quick cash’

The drug connection was no surprise to law enforcement officials, who say drugs are often the root cause of crimes aimed at getting money fast. “Robberies provide quick cash to make purchases,” said Cumberland County Sheriff Mark Dion.

These crimes – impulsive and driven by desperation – can put innocent bystanders in danger. Addicts are “thinking about the next dose, the next injection,” the sheriff said.

“An addict has a very short time horizon. They’re not thinking of tomorrow or next week. They’re thinking about the next dose, the next injection,” Dion said.

The growing drub problem is underscored by other statistics, as well.

The number of people seeking treatment for addiction to painkillers or heroin climbed from 1,249 in 2000 to almost 4,000 in 2004. The number of accidental overdose deaths climbed from 50 to 140 during the same period.

Cantara said the state is responding to the increase in armed robberies and drug activity by increasing state spending on the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency by $640,000.

However, state officials have said the increased funding is just keeping pace with federal budget cuts in drug enforcement funding.

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