Heroin abuse takes root in Ennis area

A SECOND death in the last three weeks from “a suspected heroin overdose” has prompted Ennis Superintendent John Scanlan to issue a strong warning to the public that “heroin has really arrived in town” and measures have to now be taken to eradicate this drug scene. 
The recent deaths bring to four the number of heroin-related deaths in the Ennis Garda District in the past 12 months. 
Following on from the death of a man in the Ennis area last weekend and further to the death of a woman in the town three weeks previous, gardaí in Ennis are seeking the public’s support in addressing the issue of drug-related activity in the town.
“These deaths are indicative that there is an issue and a real threat to the social fabric of this town. What we are saying to you, and we’re saying it loud and clear, is that we have had two drug deaths in this area in the last three weeks. We have attributed these deaths to the suspected abuse of heroin and that has to be a cause of significant concern,” the superintendent told The Clare Champion. 
He said there their aim is to make the public aware that there is an issue with drugs and he is seeking their support in tackling the issue head on.
“There is a serious drugs problem here and we have concerns. We would ask people for their support, particularly to help disrupt people having a comfortable existence here dealing drugs and if people have suspicions, we would ask them to talk to us in confidence. We have established a full time drugs unit in Shannon and doubled the numbers attached to the drugs unit in Ennis in the last 12 months. This is presenting as a significant draw on garda resources but it is a challenge we must meet regardless of resources or otherwise,” the Superintendent stated.
The superintendent stressed he does not wish to sensationalise this issue but simply wants to put the facts on the table and the facts are that in the Ennis Garda District, which also includes Shannon, they are “catching on average two dealers a week”.
He added that the district could also “directly attribute the deaths of four people in Clare in the last 12 months to the abuse of heroin”.
While gardaí are apprehending dealers, according to the Ennis Superintendent it is their strategy going forward “to alert people that there is a problem here”.
“We’re out there actively pursuing it; we’re in position to offer advice or direct people to services. Our interest is in intercepting criminal drug dealers and stopping the supply of criminal drugs and making sure that people are aware of its dangers,” he said.
In addressing the issue, he has reminded the public that not only is the use of drugs detrimental to personal health but by using and buying drugs, they are ultimately employing a criminal enterprise.
“The other thing that people need to understand is that in buying drugs, you’re engaging in a criminal currency. You are engaging with the people who are responsible for murders all over this country. You’re feeding the finances of some of the most serious criminals in the state and to say otherwise is codding yourself.
“You are buying the bullets that kill the people, you’re providing the infrastructure and you’re providing a means of almost developing criminal organisations by becoming customers of these people,” he stressed.
“You’re putting your health at risk number one. You’re putting yourself at risk of substantial prison sentences and for those people who are in professional worlds or otherwise, you are labelling yourself going forward with a serious criminal record.
“Primarily it is a health thing. It’s about personal health,” he added.
The superintendent has also emphasised that while the gardaí have a duty to prosecute those engaging in these types of criminal activity, they are also there to help and can direct those with concerns to services.
“You don’t always have to come to the station, you can call anonymously, you can write to us, we don’t care how we hear about it but we need to disrupt the activities of drug dealers. Similarly, if parents have concerns we would ask them to come to us in confidence. It is not always about a court, it is sometimes about help.
“Certainly parents must be concerned and there must be worry out there with youngsters who are going to be exposed to the criminal drugs scene. It’s not always about bringing criminal prosecutions. If someone found something that they were concerned about in a child’s room, we are there for advice,” he highlighted.
The superintendent warned the gardaí “are out there, in more ways than we ever were before”.
“The sad tragedy is that we are here talking about this on the weekend of another death. One heroin addict is one too many and that is not for debate,” the superintendent concluded.