Properties were raided in Wexford, New Ross and country locations in between, including the village of Taghmon
In the days and weeks building up to it, gardaí in the drugs unit had steadily been building up a bank of locations; locations they believed may be central to the sale and supply of controlled drugs throughout the county.
Under Operation Tara, the national anti-drugs operation, the goal was to swoop on all the locations during the course of a single “day of action”, looking to smash supply chains and seriously disrupt the sale of drugs across Co Wexford.
Following a cup and coffee and an early-morning briefing, more than ten members rolled out. With them, a list of properties, some of which had been monitored for some time and some which were only newly suspected.
Properties were raided in Wexford, New Ross and country locations in between, including the village of Taghmon.
During the course of a long day, gardaí carried out a total of 11 searches and seized over €22,000 worth of drugs, among them cannabis, blow, cocaine and cannabis-infused jellies.
At one location, they discovered over €5,000 worth of cannabis, vacuum-packed and ready for sale or distribution. Another threw up cocaine worth around €3,000, while €1,000 in cash was also seized during the course of the searches.
In Taghmon, a man was arrested and charged with possession of drugs for sale or supply and being in possession of stolen property, namely a car. Details of the vehicle and where it was taken from are not currently being released, for operational reasons. A file is currently being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
“The searches were mainly in town areas,” a garda source said. “They are not all related, far from it. Some of these locations had been on the books for a while and would have been the subject of some surveillance, with gardaí steadily working away and getting warrants set up. Others, we would have only received info on them recently and they were added to the list.
“The whole thing is to disrupt the sale and supply of drugs in the area. From that point of view, it was a great operation.”
While, at this stage, the operation has only seen one man charged and due before the court, inquiries are ongoing in relation to a number of the other locations and the cases are far from closed.
“Some of the individuals involved would be well-known to gardaí, others wouldn’t,” the source continued. “It’s probably fifty-fifty. Investigations are ongoing and will take their course now, but it was a good day’s work.”
Gardaí say that the operation is part of their “ongoing commitment to disrupting drug-related activity and protecting our communities”.
They urge anyone with concerns about drug activity in their areas to contact their local garda station or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666111.
A garda on duty in rural Wexford
News in 90 Seconds – September 23rd