AN ANALYSIS of products sold in head shops has revealed that none of the outlets targeted in recent Garda operations is offering any illegal substances for sale.
Senior gardaí say while a number of shops had been selling an illegal hallucinogenic substance derived from cactus plants, more recent checks have not revealed any controlled drugs being sold.
Det Chief Supt Tony Quilter, head of the Garda National Drugs Unit, said he was co-ordinating a nationwide investigation into the head shop sector aimed at preventing further attacks on the outlets, and monitoring the substances they are selling.
He said recent pipe bomb and arson attacks on the shops posed a risk to the safety of the general public, adding that Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy was determined the head shop sector would be policed as closely as possible.
“We as an organisation will not be found wanting,” Chief Supt Quilter said. “We will support the communities; we acknowledge their concerns about head shops.”
Mr Quilter made his comments at a briefing on head shops held at the drugs unit HQ in Dublin.
He revealed there were now in excess of 70 head shops across the State. Gardaí were monitoring them and the products they sold by overt and covert means.
New products were being constantly analysed to ensure nothing contained substances banned under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Currently there were files with the DPP in relation to head shops operating in four different counties. These related to the outlets offering for sale the hallucinogenic substance mescaline, which is found in cactus plants.
Garda sources have told The Irish Timesthe three main product types being offered for sale are not controlled drugs, meaning their sale is legal. These include:
- Smoked substances containing JWHO18, which mimics cannabis.
- White powder stimulants containing mephedrone and other chemicals.
- So-called Party Pills, which are stimulants.
At least one trader in the Republic is suspected of selling BZP, a form or tranquilliser banned in Ireland last April. This is being investigated by gardaí.
Garda sources have played down reports that arson attacks on head shops are the work of drugs gangs angered at loss of trade. Gardaí believe the loss of the gangs’ revenue has been minimal.