Gardaí carry out several drug seizures in South Offaly

THE Gardaí have carried out several drug seizures in the Birr area and made a number of arrests over recent weeks.
Acting under the umbrella of a nationwide campaign, the Gardaí targeted a number of premises in Birr Town as well as premises in Crinkle and Shannon Harbour, seizing cannabis and cocaine in the process. Some of the drugs were for sale or supply, some for personal use.
On Sunday November 9th a house was searched, acting under a warrant under the Misuse of Drugs Act, in Crinkle during which a quantity of cannabis for sale or supply and a quantity of cash were seized. A man in his thirties was arrested.
On Saturday November 15th, in High Street, Birr, as the result of a period of Garda surveillance, a quantity of drugs was discovered at an unspecified location on the street. “This was a stash of cocaine,” a Garda spokesperson told the Midland Tribune. “We are following a definite line in inquiry.”
On Tuesday November 18th, in the townland of Cloncarbon near Birr Town, a house was searched and a quantity of cannabis was discovered, as well as drugs paraphernalia. The cannabis was for sale or supply. A man was arrested.
On Wednesday November 26th, members of Birr Gardaí, the Offaly Drugs Unit, Birr Detective Branch and the Garda Armed Support Unit assembled at a house on High Street, Birr. The spokesperson told the Tribune that the ASU was present because it was trained in breaching doors. The door was breached and a man in his 30s was arrested. A small quantity of cannabis was discovered.
On Thursday November 27th the Garda Dog Unit searched a premises in Shannon Harbour. A male in his 50s was arrested and a quantity of cannabis for sale or supply was discovered. On the same day another house was searched, this time in Dromakeenan near Birr. A man in his late 40s was arrested and a quantity of cannabis and cocaine for sale or supply was seized.
The house searches were carried out as part of a nationwide operation called Operation Tara. “The goal of Operation Tara,” said the Garda spokesperson, “is to protect communities from the scourge of illegal drugs in line with An Garda Síochána’s mission of Keeping People Safe. The focus of Operation Tara is to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute drug trafficking networks, at national and local level - involved in the distribution, cultivation, and sale or supply of controlled drugs.” The operation has been running since July 2021.

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