€10m worth of illegal drugs flooded Galway City streets this year

From this week’s Galway City Tribune – Up to €10 million worth of illegal drugs have been circulating on Galway City’s streets since the beginning of the year, a Joint Policing Committee (JPC) meeting was told this week.

The meeting heard that illegal drugs valued at just over €1 million were seized by Gardaí since January, but that equated to only around 10% of the overall amount available in the city.

Of the drugs seized, cocaine was by far the most common – amounting to €544,333, followed by cannabis valued at €434,109.

Heroin (€2,410), ecstasy (€650) and ‘unspecified’ drugs (which include prescription drugs) to a value of (€28,504) were also taken off the streets in the same period.

Chief Superintendent Tom Curley told the meeting that a number of Gardaí in the division would be redirected to the drugs unit in the coming weeks to beef up the force’s response to the issue – something that would have an impact on other areas of policing but was ‘required’.

“We are working very diligently on this; not just the divisional drugs unit but we are also working with national units and the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB).

“We have half a dozen Gardaí qualified to profile individuals [suspected of sale and supply] and it is my intention to put additional resources into the drugs unit – a sergeant and a number of Gardaí – on a temporary basis,” said Chief Supt Curley.

This is a shortened preview version of this article. To read the rest of the story, see this week’s Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.