Drug unit ‘hits the ground running’

A spate of recent detections, aimed at tackling street level dealing and disrupting the supply of illicit substances into the county, is proof already that the recently re-established drugs unit in Cavan has “hit the ground running”.

Only last month several thousand euros worth of cannabis, cocaine and heroin was lifted, after officers attached to the specialist garda squad raided properties across the county on foot of search warrants granted by the courts as a result of intelligence-led investigations.

The seizures include €750 worth of cannabis and a further €250 worth of suspected cocaine from a residence in the Ballinagh area, followed a week later by another seizure of €1,000 worth of heroin, as well as a small quantity of cannabis at a house in Cavan Town.

After numbers assigned to the divisional drugs unit locally had fallen to zero towards the end of last year, interviews were conducted to form a panel of officers across the two counties to take the lead in cracking down on drug dealing across this region.

The unit was disbanded in 2013 but reformed in 2017, in part, due to political pressure at the time.

The unit was manned with six members until 2019, but those numbers steadily declined.

Now, after a successful round of interviews, there are two units in operation - one each for Cavan and Monaghan - comprising one sergeant and four gardaí in each county.

Those members also assisted as part of an intelligence-led operation when Revenue officers seized approximately 9.7kgs of herbal cannabis with an estimated value of €194,800 in Monaghan in April. That seizure resulted in the arrest of a man in his 30s who is currently charged before the courts.

Other significant seizures, highlighting the need for dedicated drugs unit, include the discovery of 19.1kgs of herbal cannabis with an estimated value of €382,000 in Cavan Town in November 2023. Again, Revenue’s Customs Service and the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) were involved.

Speaking to The Anglo-Celt last week, newly installed Garda Superintendent in Cavan Town, John Callanan, welcomed the recent successes, and stated that the group's work has only begun.

Welcoming the support the drugs unit officers have received from the communities they serve too, he said: “It's very apparent that they've hit the ground running.”

He added: “Their good work has already resulted in a number of detections, and we acknowledge the impact that is having thus far, and I'm confident there will be more going forward.”