'Wits end': Purpose-built drug dens with concrete blocks and pipes targeted by Limerick gardai

CRIMINAL groups in Limerick City are adapting properties specifically for the sale and supply of drugs, using concrete blocks and pipes feeding out drugs through doors.

On The Beat, a documentary series filmed by RTÉ has highlighted this with garda operations targeting organised drug crime in the city featuring prominently in the opening episode on Monday night.

Sergeant Mick Dunne said there are certain properties located in St Mary's Park on King's Island that have been specially adapted for the sale and supply of crack cocaine and heroin by organised criminal groups.

"At the height, the houses were not even boarded up. Concrete blocks, pipes feeding out through doors, and people selling and supplying crack cocaine and heroin out through this pipe. There's a certain type of fear there then in relation to the OCGs or the organized criminal groups operating within this area and people have a huge fear in relation to not engaging with guards or not talking to guards."

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Sgt Dunne added that the local residents are "at their wits end" regarding the high foot traffic of addicts.

"Addicts, as we know, all they're interested in is obviously getting their hit or getting their fix, and they're not thinking about the young child that might pick up the needle or the young child that might pick up the burnt tin foil. That has a huge negative effect on people living down in the area."

Some viewers have praised the show for giving an insight into the working day of An Garda Síochána. However, other were disappointed at how the RTÉ series portrayed Limerick. Dr Paul O'Brien, Assistant Professor in Education at MIC said:

"How is RTÉ News portraying Limerick on prime time television? All the usual tropes for their reality-doc thing are being rolled out. Shame on RTÉ."

During the episode, Limerick's Drugs Unit are seen carrying out operations across the city to thwart organised crime gangs operating there. They searched a number of properties and seized quantities of drugs and cash and detained the suspects. 

Meeting ahead of the operations, Superintendent Andrew Lacey said:

"We're experiencing issues down around the area we're going searching this morning... It's been a couple of decades of hard exposure to drugs and drug-related activity down there."

"Crack cocaine is causing a lot of hassle up town in terms of retail crime, and a lot of recidivist stuff. So we just wanted to go down there and give something back in terms of the community down there who are having some difficult times the last couple of weeks in particular."

The Drugs Unit conducted extensive searches of a number of properties in Limerick and seized crack cocaine, heroin and a large quantity of cash. Following the raid, the gardai broadened their search to the surrounding area and discovered a vehicle linked to the targets of the operation.

The operation yielded several thousand euros worth of heroin and crack cocaine. Over €3,000 in cash was also seized and a drug den dismantled.

The lead garda of the Drugs Unit oversees the searches. Operations are a regular occurrence in Limerick City due to the high volume of drug activity in the area.

The lead garda explains: "At the moment, crack cocaine is a considerable issue in Limerick City."

Speaking ahead of an operation, the local garda said: "This particular area we're going into now, it's a hard area to police... These properties, it's not a house, it's a location that's designed, replicated and controlled for the purpose of illegal sale and supply of crack cocaine in the city... Effectively, it's a drug den."

"This has been targeted under Operation Tara but, of course, every time we take one step forward, the drug dealers are just constantly evolving so we're adapting to their methods."

The Drugs Unit's attention turned to a nearby waste ground where they suspected drugs were being being stored and prepared for distribution.

As a result of this operation, €6,000 worth of cannabis and €7,000 in cash was seized. A number of electronic devices were also confiscated as they continue to build intelligence on the organised crime gang that were targeted in this raid.

On The Beat is a four-part series which airs on Mondays at 9.35pm on RTÉ One.