Man in his 40s arrested after Birr drugs seizure
During a car search the Guards found drugs worth thousands of Euro.
A LARGE quantity of cocaine was recently seized by the Gardaí in Birr, a Garda spokesperson in Birr Garda Station told The Midland Tribune this week.
On Saturday October 31 last the Guards stopped a car being driven by a man in his 40s and, under the Misuse of Drugs Act, searched the car. During the course of the search they came across a quantity of cocaine worth several thousand Euros. The driver of the car was arrested and charged.
In other crimes a young man was arrested for drug driving in Banagher. On Friday October 2 the Guards were operating an MIT (Mandatory Intoxicant Testing) checkpoint on Main St Banagher when they saw a car pull over and park some distance from the checkpoint. When they approached the car and spoke to the driver, who was in his 20s, they saw there was no tax, no insurance and no NCT displayed on his windscreen. They also formed the opinion that he had consumed an intoxicant and therefore drug-tested him, using a Drug Wipe. The test was positive and they arrested him.
A total of 14 thefts were committed in South Offaly during the month of October. Most of the thefts occurred in supermarkets and filling stations and a large number of the perpetrators were juveniles. One of the incidents occurred on Friday / Saturday, October 16 / 17 in Brosna, Birr when a Victory cement mixer was stolen from outside a house.
A woman was arrested in Crinkle recently for being intoxicated in public. The incident happened on Saturday October 24 at 8.30pm when locals saw the woman, who was in her 30s, in the middle of the road in an “extremely intoxicated condition”. The Gardaí were called to the scene and they decided to arrest her for her own safety. They also discovered that she had a number of bench warrants for her arrest pending against her. She was taken to Birr Garda Station and charged with committing a public order offence.
Two men were arrested for being intoxicated in public in Ferbane. The two incidents happened on the same afternoon but at different times. At 3pm on Sunday October 25 on Chapel Lane Ferbane a man in his 20s was in a highly intoxicated and aggressive state. When the Gardaí arrived they had to deploy pepperspray to deal with the situation. He was arrested. About an hour and a half later, another young man, also in his 20s, was in Chapel Lane, in a highly intoxicated condition. He was arrested for his own safety.
A car was damaged by a firework in Kilcormac recently. The incident happened at 11.30pm on Mooney Terrace on Sunday October 11 when the bonnet of the parked vehicle was damaged by the firework, leaving burn marks on the bodywork. The Gardaí subsequently viewed CCTV footage and are following a definite line of inquiry.
Finally, a number of schools in South Offaly received threatening emails during a nationwide email hoax, warning them of potential attacks on Wednesday October 14. 15 primary schools located in the region received the bomb scare email.
“All of the schools contacted us after receiving the email, seeking advice,” a Garda spokesperson told the Tribune. “Most of the schools decided to remain open in spite of the unsettling and worrying correspondence and a small number decided to close their doors.”
The bomb scare communication happened on the same day as widespread industrial action over public sector pay, where the majority of schools across the country were closed and pickets placed outside.
The Department of Education said it consulted with the Gardaí on the issue, who advised any school in receipt of the email to contact Gardaí.
“Death awaits you” was the subject line in the email and the main body of the email began with “Greetings”. It continued: “We are Hamas militants. Today we planted an explosive device in your building.” The email was sent at around 10.30am. The person or persons behind it demanded “an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as well as that the European Union withdraw its support for Israel” and “you have one hour before dozens of people are blown to pieces”. The email concluded with “Allahu Akbar”.