Pubdate: Thu, 07 Jun 2001
Source: Irish Times, The (Ireland)
Copyright: 2001 The Irish Times
Contact:  http://www.ireland.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/214

MIDLANDS DRUGS CRACKDOWN HAS AN IMPACT

A major crackdown by gardai on drug-dealing in the midlands has led 
to the arrest and conviction of members of one of the main gangs in 
the Athlone area.

Last week a 16-year-old Athlone schoolgirl was put on probation for 
two years for possession of 139 bags of heroin for sale or supply.

Another member of the gang, her former boyfriend, was jailed for 18 
months in March. Their apprehension was the work of the Garda drugs 
squad set up in the Westmeath-Longford Garda division a year ago.

Insp Martin Maguire of Athlone station said that while he was very 
happy with the success of the divisional drugs unit's work, there was 
no room for complacency. "The problem with drugs is that when you 
take out somebody there always seems to be somebody else to fill 
their shoes. We have to always be vigilant," he said.

There was a heroin problem in Athlone, "albeit small in comparison to 
Dublin". There were a number of locals who were addicts, which was 
worrying, he said. However, heroin was not a problem in Longford or 
Mullingar.

He confirmed that the local drugs squad had had some major successes. 
They had been responsible for seizures of thousands of pounds worth 
of cannabis and ecstasy throughout the region over the past year. A 
number of arrests were made and prosecutions are pending.

"Their work has led to a decrease in the level of drugs available, 
and some of the big players have been taken out," Insp Maguire said.

Mr John Madden, an outreach worker and counsellor attached to the 
Connect 2000 drugs project in Athlone, said heroin was an issue in 
the town but it was difficult to pinpoint the exact extent of the 
problem. He said that despite the crackdown by gardai, heroin was 
still available in Athlone.

A member of the Athlone Drugs Awareness Group, Ms Liz Fletcher, said 
gardai were doing a very good job, and it was getting harder for 
people to access drugs in the area. Her group works to create 
awareness of the hazards of drug-taking and thereby reduce demand for 
drugs.

The 16-year-old Athlone schoolgirl who was put on probation last week 
had been arrested in Longford, on her way from Sligo to Athlone. She 
had 139 bags of heroin and was part of a gang forced to leave Athlone 
because of the crackdown there by Garda drugs officers, it was stated 
at her trial at Sligo Circuit Court. The gang had relocated to Sligo, 
from where they continued their operation.

Sgt James Delaney, who is in charge of the Longford-Westmeath 
Divisional Drugs Unit, told the court that since the break-up of the 
gang's operation, the level of heroin-dealing in Athlone had dropped 
significantly.

The schoolgirl, who wasn't a drug-user herself, had got into 
heroin-dealing purely for profit and was making UKP 20 on every deal 
she sold in Athlone. She would pick up the drugs in Sligo and take 
them to Athlone.

In her statement she said she would hide the heroin in lots of 10 
deals around Athlone in various places including walls. Judge Anthony 
Kennedy said that, but for her age, she would have been locked up.
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