Gardai seized €912k worth of drugs in past year chief tells Limerick JPC

GARDAI in Limerick seized more than €900,000 worth of drugs in a 12-month crackdown on dealers across the city and county last year.

According to figures released by the drugs squad at last week’s joint policing committee at City Hall, gardai confiscated €912,693 worth of illicit substances from those engaging in the sale and supply of drugs. 

Cannabis seizures proved to be the highest in financial value of all drugs seized, topping the list at €451,395, ahead of cocaine with €340,014, heroin at €80,580, crack cocaine at €21,376, benzos (such as Xanax, Diazepam, etc) at €11,055, speed at €7,233, and MDMA and ecstasy at €1,040.

This sum is a result of a total of 172 seizures in relation to the sale and supply of drugs; 156 of which were in the city and just 16 in the county.

But this is separate to the 605 incidents of drugs seized for “simple possession”. Like operations on sale and supply, the majority of possession cases were in the city, amounting to 560, and just 45 in the county.

During a presentation at last week’s JPC meeting, attended by Limerick’s most senior garda officials, Detective Garda Declan O’Halloran said that there were 236 warrants executed for misuse of drugs, and a total of 2,687 drug searches carried out last year.

Out of seven warrants executed, gardai seized drugs worth €410,160 which they believe to be the proceeds of drug dealing. And following three search warrants, three loaded firearms and firearm components were seized in 2019.

So far this year, gardai have seized €77,820 worth of drugs across Henry Street, Roxboro Road, Bruff, and Newcastle West districts under sale and supply. The majority of this was in MDMA, after €31,320 was seized since January 1.

The issue of crack cocaine became a major talking point at the JPC meeting on Friday. And addressing members’ concerns, Chief Superintendent Gerard Roche said that a “multi-agency” strategy is in place to tackle the rising problem.

In an operation targeting crack cocaine in the northside of the city on January 8, gardai arrested and charged four people in connection with drug trafficking offences after seizing €63,885 worth of drugs, including €20,540 worth of crack cocaine and €33,525 worth of heroin.

Crack cocaine is a freebase (inhalable) or injectable form of crystalised or rock cocaine, which has slowly crept into Limerick’s drug culture in recent years.

Detective Declan O’Halloran, of the drugs squad, told the JPC that gardai seized €21,376 worth of crack cocaine last year. 

Crack cocaine is valued at the same rate as cocaine at about €70 per gram. When asked about its use, Det O’Halloran said €70 worth could be consumed in one night between two people.

Chief Supt Roche said that gardai have been working with the Mid-West Drugs Taskforce, and were informed three months ago that there were 35 people who were attending treatment for heroin addiction, who were also on crack cocaine.

However, he said he believes the real number to be in the region of 100.

He said that these addicts have been “presenting a lot worse physically and mentally”, adding: “It’s worrying”.

He said that tackling the wider problem of drugs requires a multi-agency approach, adding that policing alone will not address the issue.

“Drugs are here, and we need to deal with this together,” he told the public representatives. 

He said that since September, they have been investigating the problem and have “put a strategy in place”. 

Sinn Fein TD Maurice Quinlivan, who has been vocal on the issue, said he believes that one group of people in the city have been dealing crack cocaine. 

Chairperson of the JPC meeting, Cllr Adam Teskey said that the drug problem “is creating a rot among our people”.