Cocaine addiction fuelling prostitution and death in Limerick City

THE ONGOING sale and supply of cocaine is fuelling prostitution and tragic deaths among addicts, as well a gangland feud...

THE ONGOING sale and supply of cocaine is fuelling prostitution and tragic deaths among addicts, as well a gangland feud on the south side of Limerick City.

That’s according to anti-drugs campaigner and TD Maurice Quinlivan.

In recent days, a loaded semi-automatic Glock handgun and €20,000 worth of heroin was found by members of the Limerick Garda Divisional Drugs Unit when they searched a house at St Mary’s Park during an investigation into the sale and supply of drugs on August 9.

Separately, on August 4, Gardaí arrested a man openly dealing crack cocaine at Post Office Lane, opposite the GPO, in the city centre.

The Limerick Sinn Féin TD said that those selling the drug are “wrecking communities”.

It comes in the wake of a report published by Mid-West-based Coolmine Theraputic Community treatment centre, which found that more than half of its clients are women who are addicted to crack cocaine.

Coolmine found that, among its clients, crack cocaine addiction is 10 per cent higher in the Mid West than in the South West.

A violent feud between two rival drugs groups, based on the south side of the city, led to a man being shot in the chest last month.

Almost 40 drive-by shootings associated with the feud have been reported in the Ballinacurra Weston area in the recent past, however, other shootings have gone unreported, it is feared.

“Gardaí have done a lot of good work, but it should not just be down to them alone, the Gardaí and the drug support groups need a lot more resources to deal with this,” said Deputy Quinlivan.

He said a surge of people have also turned to prostitution to pay for their drug fix.

“Prostitution is off the scale in parts of the city centre where people are selling themselves for drugs, and that’s clearly visible in parts of the streets – you can see it; morning, noon, and night,” said Deputy Quinlivan.

The Limerick TD said that the drug “didn’t come here by accident, there is big money to be made out of this, it is a business model”.

“People are traveling to Limerick for crack cocaine, the strength of it, and the cheap price.”

Deputy Quinlivan said “intimidation” of drug addicts’ families has also surged, with gangs forcing relatives of addicts to pay drug debts, store drugs, or worse, on behalf of their loved ones.

Many of those threatened by the gangs and could not pay inflated drug debts have taken their own lives, said the Sinn Féin politician. Others can be caught up in the violence associated with the feud that has fuelled tit for tat attacks, he said.

As well as multiple shootings, the southside community has witnessed pipe bomb attacks. One house had to be demolished due to the extent of the damage caused by the blast of one of the bomb attacks.

Across town, St Mary’s Park has become a haven for drug gangs over the years who utilise derelict and neighbouring properties to store and sell drugs and guns.

Deputy Quinlivan said people living among the drug dens “feel utterly abandoned” by the State.

In a media statement, Gardaí said that, as part of Operation Feabhsaigh and Operation Croí – two investigations “targeting the sale and supply of drugs in Limerick”, – they arrested a man who was dealing crack cocaine at Post Office Lane.

“Gardaí carried out a targeted operation where they apprehended a male in possession of crack cocaine who was caught in the act of actively dealing,” Gardaí said.

“Separately on the 9th of August last, a search was carried out by the Divisional Drugs unit at a premises in the Island Road area of the city where drugs to the value of €20,000 were located and Gardaí also recovered a firearm, and a male was arrested and detained.”

Gardaí encouraged members of the public with information about drug dealing to contact their local Garda Station or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.