This article is from page 6 of the 2006-04-04 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
AT LEAST ten members of a drugs gang were trying to peddle narcotics in an Ennis pub on Friday night, when undercover gardaí raided the premises.
A total of 75 ecstasy tablets were seized and four Dublin men arrested.
The Garda operation was part of an ongoing initiative, aimed at combating suspected drug dealing in licensed premises in Ennis.
“We believe at least 10 people were targeting this premises. It was organised,” said Ennis Superintendent, John Kerin.
Plain-clothes gardaí mingled with the crowd late on Friday night and bought a number of illegal drugs.
Reinforcements were called to the scene. The four Dubliners who were arrested under Section Two of the Drug Trafficking Act, were taken to Ennis Garda Station for questioning.
They were released on Saturday afternoon. A file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Two of the men questioned are in their 20s and two in their 30s. The Clare People has learned that one of the four currently lives in north Clare.
Gardaí believe that a number of others were involved in the operation.
Supt Kerin said the Garda operation had been going on for some time.
“This operation has been going on for a number of months. We are pleased with how it went,” he said, adding that gardaí would be “looking to serve a closure order within a week” on the premises in question, unless the “house is in order.”
“We will have to be satisfied that drugs are not sold in there again,” said Supt Kerin.
In a separate, unrelated development, a small quantity of cannabis resin was seized by gardaí in Shannon on Saturday evening.
A car, occupied by two Limerick men was searched and the drugs were found.