Gardaí seize €112k worth of drugs in one week

Three drugs’ busts in the week before St Patrick’s Day took illegal narcotics worth over €112,000 off the streets of Galway.

Superintendent Marie Skehill confirmed that Galway Gardaí put a city cannabis grow house out of business in the week from March 7 to March 14.

Cannabis with a street value of around €73,000 was seized at the grow house.

Over the same seven-day period, there were two large seizures of heroin, totalling €17,000. The heroin was destined for the streets of Galway City.

The €112,000 during that one week in March surpassed the total amount of drugs that were seized during the months of January and February.

She made the comments at this week’s Galway City Joint Policing Committee meeting.

In her crime report, which covered the first two months of the year only, Supt Skehill said there were 22 incidents of drugs for sale or supply compared with 32 in the same two-months period last year. There were 47 instances of simple possession, one more than January and February in 2017.

There was just €35 worth of heroin seized in January and February this year, and when this low figure was queried by Cllr Pádraig Conneely (FG), Supt Skehill revealed the success of the drugs unit in March, since the report for the JPC meeting was compiled, including the three drugs busts.

Meanwhile, it was agreed     a delegation from the JPC     will visit Merchant’s Quay        in Dublin over the coming months to view how the methadone clinic there operates.

The suggestion was made by Cllr Billy Cameron (Lab), who said heroin is a relatively new problem in Galway, and methadone clinics were a “win-win situation”. “Economically it makes sense. Health-wise, it makes sense. It is good for the addict and the rehabilitative process,” he said.

Earlier, Cllr Conneely, while discussing the minutes of the last meeting, said comments made by the Chief Supt Tom Curley, that it takes €1,200 to feed the habit of heroin addicts, was “alarming”. Cllr Mark Lohan (SF) agreed and said that the only way to sustain that habit and lifestyle was through the proceeds of crime.

Several members of the JPC complimented the Garda Drugs Unit based in Galway, which Supt Skehill agreed was very active and proactive