GARDAÍ HAVE arrested 80 suspects in raids on homes throughout Dublin over the past number of days.
Seventy-two men and eight women were being held on suspicion of being involved in the sale and supply of heroin and cocaine.
A quantity of narcotics was also recovered in the searches.
The arrests follow a five-month Garda operation aimed at breaking up the distribution network of two criminal gangs operating in the city centre.
More than 100 homes were searched as part of the operation. Officers from the Garda National Drugs Unit, Pearse Street, Kilmainham and Store Street stations and district drug units throughout the city region took part in raids.
A total of 120 charges have been laid against the 80 suspects, some of whom have already appeared before the courts.
Det Supt Michael O’Sullivan, of the National Drugs Unit said while most of the arrests had taken place within Dublin, some had been made in outlying counties such as Carlow and Kildare. Further arrests were also expected, he said.
“It’s not a drop in the ocean. The people targeted are an integral part of the drugs supply network,” he said. “They were targeted as part of the Garda strategy to reduce demand and supply of drugs in the city and the country as a whole.”
Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy said the force was committed to tackling the supply of drugs.
“The Garda National Drugs Unit working with local Garda drug units will ensure a co-ordinated and effective approach to protecting our communities, individuals and their families from the harm, pain and destruction caused by illicit drug use,” Mr Murphy said.
“We will continue to work with other agencies and communities in tackling the drug problem in this country.”
Sinn Féin’s justice spokesman Aengus Ó Snodaigh welcomed the move, saying it was the type of solid, intelligence-based police work needed to tackle drugs and serious crime, rather than the measures proposed in the Criminal Justice Bill published this week.
The latest arrests came as five people were held over a seizure of cocaine in Balbriggan, Co Dublin, on Wednesday.
The haul, with an estimated street value of €1.5 million, was recovered following the search of a vehicle in the Balrothery area of Balbriggan on Wednesday afternoon.
Two men were arrested at the scene, with two further arrests made after a follow-up search of a house in Balrothery revealed drug paraphernalia. A fifth person was arrested late on Wednesday night.
