Cavan town heroin den boarded up

The council has boarded up the Cavan Town heroin den, which was highlighted on last week’s Anglo Celt front page.

The property at the back of Bridge Street, we exclusively revealed, was being used as a heroin flop-house by trespassing drug addicts and could be freely accessed, as both the outer and inner doors were smashed in and needles and drug paraphernalia were in plain sight.
The problem property was less than a hundred yards from a creche and just steps from the busy Bridge Street in the town.
When contacted last week by this paper about the squalid property, which also was full of broken glass and used tin foil and suffered recent fire damage, a spokesperson for the council said a full investigation would be launched.
“Staff from the local authority’s Waste Management Section visited the premises in River Street accompanied by two members of An Garda Siochána,” a spokesperson later added.
“We can confirm that property is derelict and there is unrestricted access at present. We viewed the drug paraphernalia and other waste streams left in the property. The building has also undergone substantial fire damage inside.
“The local authority will secure the building and restrict access to same by lunchtime today [last Tuesday],” a spokesperson said.
The council is looking into the ownership of the Emmett Place property, at which, there was also the top of a baby’s bottle visible.
Local community activist Emmett Smith, who held a 'Support Don’t Punish’ drug-policy information day in the square last Friday said that “just because one more building in our town is boarded up does not mean the heroin problem is going away”.
“Following on from global 'Support Don’t Punish Day’ last Friday, an event will take place in the Bridge Street Centre, Cavan Town, this coming Friday at 6pm,” he said.
“Confirmed to speak is Vincent Lavery from DID (Decriminalise Illegal Drugs). Invitations have also been sent out to Cavan Drug Awareness and the North East Family Support Network as well as to the local Garda Drugs Unit and the Garda Community liaison officer. 
“The event is open to anybody with an interest in addressing the worsening drug problem in Cavan and the country as a whole.