WHEN THE Government introduces legislation to control head shops, gardaí will enforce it with the same vigour that they pursue gangland criminals, Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy has said.
Addressing delegates at the Agsi conference, Mr Murphy said he shared the concern of many gardaí in relation to the “head shops phenomenon”.
“I also support the commitment on the part of the Government to legislate in this area and I can assure them that the same determination and commitment that has been demonstrated against drug trafficking and drug dealing will be applied to the enforcement in this area also.”
Agsi president Dan Hanley said Dublin had the highest concentration of head shops in Europe. In recent weeks, a number of chief superintendents have told head shop owners they may face reckless endangerment charges if customers are injured or die as a result of consuming their products.
Mr Murphy said head shops were “gradually filling the space” in areas where people had been denied access to illegal drugs as a result of Garda successes in tackling drug gangs.