Petrol bomb attack on shop selling 'legal highs'

A GARDA superintendent has described an arson attack on a shop selling so-called “legal highs” in Sligo as a “worrying development”.

Two Sligo men were arrested in the early hours of yesterday following the attack at the Yutopia shop on Connolly Street.

It is understood that an accelerant described as a “petrol bomb” was thrown through the shop window, causing extensive smoke and fire damage to the interior and contents of the shop.

The alarm was raised at about 12.30am, and a number of fire tenders fought the blaze until after 2am.

Supt James Kearns, who is leading the investigation, said any arson attack was of serious concern given the potential consequences for people living in the vicinity of burning premises.

He described the early morning arrest of two local men aged 21 and 31 in the aftermath of the attack as “significant”.

It is understood the men were arrested at a house in Sligo town. They were being questioned yesterday at Sligo Garda station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.

While no one was injured in the attack, a number of people living in apartments over and close to the shop were evacuated.

The Mayor of Sligo, Cllr Jim McGarry of Labour, said he was thankful nobody had been injured in the fire. “I would condemn any attack which results in the destruction of property, not to mention the real risk of endangering lives.”

Mr McGarry said that if “even a fraction” of media reports about the dangers of head shop products were true, they should be a matter of huge public concern.

It is understood that four outlets in Sligo, including head shops and sex shops, deal in the controversial substances which, while legal, have sparked protests at other locations around the country.

The issue was highlighted at meetings of Sligo Borough Council and Sligo County Council last week, when elected members called on the Government to enact as a matter of urgency promised legislation to regulate the substances.

Local Sinn Féin Councillor Chris MacManus, who was among those calling for action, condemned the arson attack.

“While everyone recognises that ‘head shops’ have no productive function in any of our towns or cities, attacks such as the one in Sligo last night serve no purpose other than to possibly endanger lives and to wilfully destroy property.”

Another Sligo councillor, Dara Mulvey of Fine Gael, said there were now more head shops than post offices in Ireland.

Addiction  counsellor Sean Foy of the Learning Curve Institute last week hosted a workshop in Sligo, the first of a series around the country, entitled “Legal Highs – a Description of the Available Substances and their Effects”.

Mr Foy said experts in addiction did not have knowledge of the impact of products sold in head shops “either in the long term or the short term”. He said there was a worry that if the Minister banned goods such as methadrone, which was still legal in Britain, people would go across the Border to source them.