GARDAÍ MAKE €13,000 COCAINE SEIZURE

Gardaí in Co Monaghan in March seized €13,000 worth of cocaine and drugs paraphernalia and a file was currently being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions in relation to the case, Garda Superintendent Pat O’Connell informed Monday’s meeting of the Co Monaghan Joint Policing Committee. Superintendent O’Connell reported to the meeting that in the year to date in 2023 the Gardaí in Co Monaghan had made nine detections in relation to the possession of drugs for sale or supply, compared to a figure of five for the same period in 2022. Community representative on the JPC Alan Johnston wondered if this was an indication of an increase in the usage of drugs in the county and if “the number of people doing drugs is doubling based on these statistics”.

Sinn Féin Co Council member Noel Keelan said the drug problem had concerned him for some years – the problem seemed to be getting worse. Drug driving was something that you never heard of until recent years, Councillor Keelan remarked (statistics presented to Monday’s meeting showed that the Gardaí had arrested eight people for this offence in Co Monaghan so far in 2023, compared to 13 detections for the same 2022 period). “You would wonder whether we are really losing the battle in relation to drugs,” Councillor Keelan added. The message didn’t seem to be getting through to their young people about the criminality and violence that drugs could lead to.

Noting the talk at national level of a Citizens Assembly around drug issues, the Sinn Féin representative declared: “We have to tackle the criminals polluting our towns and villages with all sorts of drugs. These people are making vast sums of money and living very nice lifestyles off the back of the misery…