THE scale of drug dealing in Limerick City estates are “worse than ever”, Tánaiste Simon Harris was told in the Dáil.
Limerick Sinn Féin TD Maurice Quinlivan urged the Government to commit to a fully resourced Garda operation targeting drug dealing, especially crack cocaine, so that people in King’s Island and Ballinacurra Weston, feel safe and secure in their homes.
In the past week, Deputy Quinlivan has written to both the Garda Commissioner and the Minister for Justice seeking additional resources for the Gardaí in Limerick. These resources, he insists, are needed to combat the ongoing sale of drugs in Limerick City communities.
“There is an ongoing feud in the south side of the city with gangs vying for control. The hard-working families, in both King’s Island and Ballinacurra Weston deserve to live securely in their homes without the presence of drug gangs operating openly and arrogantly,” Quinlivan told the Oireachtas.
“The sale of crack cocaine is evil. It has a devastating impact, not only on the drug user, but on their family and the wider community. This drug, perhaps the most destructive and addictive, is peddled to the most desperate of our citizens.”
The Sinn Féin Deputy went onto call for gangs to be combatted. Previous Garda operations, such as Operation Copóg and Croí, he said, have had success, but when these resources were removed, the criminality returned often worse.
“These gangs operate in hard working communities where nearly all residents want to work hard and provide for their families.”
Tánaiste Simon Harris replied: “It is absolutely true that everybody deserves to be safe in his or her home and community. I join the Deputy in praising the community workers and local gardaí for the excellent work they do in the area.
“I will talk directly to the Minister for Justice about the King’s Island area and the need for more support and resourcing for the Garda. I will ask the Minister to come back to the Deputy directly.”
Speaking afterwards, Deputy Quinlivan added: “We cannot allow the tentacles of crime to spread, we cannot allow these gangs to attract more young people into this lifestyle of crime and anti-community behaviour. Crime cannot be seen to pay. The Criminal Assets Bureau must be enhanced, and the ill-gotten gains of these criminals must be seized and re-invested into the communities that have been impacted most by these gangs.
“We must enhance community safety by implementing comprehensive measures to address crime and support local policing efforts. A robust zero tolerance approach must be adopted against these merchants of misery.”
