`It’s as easy to get a bag of cocaine as it is to get a bag of sugar in rural Galway at the moment,’ meeting told

Almost as much cocaine was seized by gardaí in Galway in the first eight weeks of this year as in the whole of last year.

Figures released at Monday’s meeting of the County Galway Joint Policing Committee (JPC) indicated that €120,000 worth of cocaine was seized in Galway City and County in January and February of this year compared with €140,000 in all of 2022.

Galway Chief Superintendent Gerard Roche warned drugs gangs in Galway are becoming increasingly “volatile” and the main focus for local gardaí is to break the drugs supply chain and to tackle those involved in money laundering and intimidation.

Chief Superintendent Roche has put a renewed focus on tackling illegal drugs since taking over as head of the Galway Garda Division last November. “If we put a lot of resources into drugs, we will get results. I want to make things very difficult for the people who are going down the lines of sale and supply,” he said.

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“We have arrested groups who are starting to become quite volatile in the city and county but this drugs strategy takes a lot of effort and a lot of resources. Cocaine use is now endemic and it is in every class of society. If a person wants to take drugs, they will do it. It is our job to disrupt the sale and supply of drugs and make life as uncomfortable as possible for anyone involved,” he added.

The meeting heard the cocaine seizure figures were “the tip of the iceberg”, with Fine Gael councillor Peter Roche blaming increases in the price of alcohol for pushing people towards cocaine.

“People need to socialise and I think that the extortionate cost of alcohol is an issue and it is driving drug use,” he said.

[ How drug debts are used to control Irish communities: ‘Men are forced to go to jail on someone’s behalf’ ]

Headford councillor Andrew Reddington (FG) called for a focus to be placed on education in schools and increased efforts to prevent young people from starting to experiment with illegal drugs. “It’s as easy to get a bag of cocaine as it is to get a bag of sugar in rural Galway at the moment,” he said.

Chief Superintendent Roche also said the spike in cocaine use is leading to “increased aggression” among people socialising in Galway.