RTÉ HAS urged anyone with information on drug-taking in the national broadcaster to contact the Garda and supply it with details.
The statement follows a report in the Irish Sun yesterday which claimed a journalist from the paper had found traces of heroin in the toilets in RTÉ, Donnybrook, Dublin 4, after swabbing the toilets with a kit designed to identify the presence of drugs. The story said traces of heroin had been found “on a toilet lid in the main canteen”.
A statement issued by RTÉ's head of corporate communications, Kevin Dawson, said the newspaper's claims related to toilets frequently accessed by both staff and visitors, including the general public. "RTÉ urges the Irish Sunto make available to the gardaí without delay all of the information and materials in its possession so that these can be evaluated by them. RTÉ will then await advice from the gardaí and will co-operate fully with such advice.
“RTÉ intends to take all appropriate steps to protect the health, safety and welfare of our staff and of visitors to RTÉ and will offer complete co-operation to the authorities with this in mind.
“We will await further information and advice and our security staff will continue to carry out ongoing checks and tests of the RTÉ workplace.”
RTÉ has issued a number of statements on its policy on drug use since an inquest earlier this month found that cocaine was likely to have been a factor in the death of broadcaster Gerry Ryan last April. The inquest heard his heart had been damaged from cocaine use and that cocaine was found in his system.
Gardaí are now effectively conducting two investigations relating to Ryan’s death.
The primary investigation by gardaí at Donnybrook Garda station is focused on trying to determine the source of the last batch of cocaine Ryan took.
People who met Ryan at a social gathering on the night before he was found dead were spoken to at the time in an effort to establish if he had taken drugs just before he died or had sourced them just before his death.
While that investigation yielded nothing, others who knew the broadcaster have since spoken out and claimed to have known about his drug use. Some have suggested they know the people Ryan had used to source cocaine.
The investigation being conducted from Donnybrook is trying to determine if there is evidence to ground a prosecution against anyone who may have supplied Ryan with cocaine.
The second investigation is being conducted by the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation and is exploring claims made in the Sunday Independentlast weekend.
That paper suggested drug dealers supplying well-known personalities were being protected by corrupt gardaí. It made specific reference to a suspect supplying drugs “into RTÉ” who was about to be arrested before gardaí were “warned off”.
A number of people in the Sunday Independenthave already been contacted about the Garda investigation of the claims.
The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission has not begun any investigation into the claims of Garda corruption. Sources said the commission did not believe the Sunday Independentproduced any evidence that required investigation and instead had opted to "keep a watching brief" on any further developments.