'There is a problem... people are afraid’ - focus on Bailieborough's drug explosion

Bailieborough Garda District region is busy with investigations into murders, armed robbery, missing people but, above all, drug-related crime - residents recently attended the first public meeting in the town on the scourge that has locals both angry and fearful but they are pulling together to support overstretched gardaí in east Cavan...

Paul Neilan

On Tuesday (April 23) a public meeting was held in Bailieborough on drug-awareness in light of the growing problem in the area, evidenced by huge finds - including a recent multi-million heroin discovery - busts on so-called grow houses and an explosion of cannabis use.
The speakers on the night were Garda Sergeant Niall McKiernan, Garda Superintendent Gerry O’Brien, local councillor Niamh Smyth and, even more significantly, Detective Sergeant Brian Roberts from the Garda National Drug Unit.
His presence coincided with the meeting being the first of its kind in the region and is a sure sign that Phoenix Park recognises that Bailieborough Garda District is now worthy of its attention, as the drug-problem reaches never-before-seen proportions.
Indeed, on the night itself (Tuesday, April 23) word had filtered through of a €20,000 cannabis plant find in Shercock earlier that day. The next day saw another - €8,000 in cannabis near Tonyduff. The Saturday previous (April 20); €10,500 in cannabis herb from a house in the Cross-Mullagh area.
Three intelligence-led searches yielding almost €40,000 in just five days.
Det Sgt Roberts is one of the leading senior drug investigators in the country and was fresh from giving evidence at the recent landmark trial of crime-lord Brian 'King Rat’ Rattigan, who was jailed for 17 years for controlling €1 million worth of heroin operations from his cell in Portlaoise Prison.
The 100-plus audience present in the Bailie Hotel seemed somewhat stunned at the presentation, according to organiser Cllr Smyth, which outlined the dangers, availability and warning-signs of heroin, speed, cannabis, pills and more to concerned parents, guardians, youth workers, counsellors and teachers.
“What we’re concerned about is the disastrous effect drugs are having on our community as a whole,” she said.

Huge finds

“Unfortunately, we’ve had some huge drug finds in a very concentrated area - it’s hugely worrying. On the very same day of the meeting we had a twenty-thousand euro find of cannabis in the locality. We’ve seen it in the headlines, sadly, in the last few months - finds, grow-houses, court cases, arrests... We’re a small community in east Cavan and we’re just not going to take it any more.
'There was a feeling of dismay almost at the meeting and there was a huge amount to take in. People are frightened, very frightened.
“We live in a rural community where everyone used to know their neighbour now with these grow-houses they don’t, there’s a huge sense of insecurity in the community because people don’t know what’s going on in the house next door,” she said.
Community Garda Sergeant Niall McKiernan who spoke at Tuesday’s meeting said that the joint community-Garda schemes had “growing support” among the community in Bailieborough.
“The evening itself was another positive aspect of good community policing, we designed it with parents, guardians and teachers in mind and not so much as a good piece of PR for gardaí but so the community can put a face to a name and work with us,” he said. “It was all about creating awareness within the community of drugs and we had an excellent speaker in Detective Sergeant Roberts from the National Garda Drug Unit.”
The recently set-up Bailieborough Community Text Alert scheme has over 200 members and the district’s crime prevention page on Facebook, barely launched a year ago, already has over 1,000 followers.
“Word of mouth and friends of friends seeing posts then liking the page are growing the page,” says Detective Garda Ann-Marie Larkin, who runs the page. “Drug-related captures, which are posted, seem to generate the most interest, likes and shares and the page always gains twenty-to-thirty new likes from this.
“Any correspondence is treated one-hundred per-cent confidential. I am the only one running the page, so only one person has access to the private messages.
“Drug captures seem to be the most popular along with any suspicious vehicles or callers. Posts like that are shared a lot. Local solved-crimes are also popular. We don’t mention any persons names on the page, just to avoid anything personal being stated.
“Any of the private mails into the page would be certain concerns over drugs locally but people are now also beginning to realise that they can contact us without having to actually talk to us directly - ie being seen coming into the Garda station, which I think is an issue for some people.
“There are plenty of decent people out there, who have information and who want to pass it to us, but are afraid to be seen in the station. The Facebook page is another way to try and alleviate those fears - just like the text alert, they can text or mail us without anyone knowing they are doing so. The fear-factor is being lessened.
“At the end of the day, it’s about working with our local communities, alerting them to what is going on locally from a crime perspective and giving them crime prevention advice also. This was always a crime prevention initiative and hopefully it is working,” she said. The district’s pro-active approach to social media has also seen it set up a Twitter account, @bailieborocp, the first Garda district to do so.

Target

Gardaí in the district are already working a huge case-load, with two murder investigations, several armed robberies, tiger-kidnappings and, on top of these, travelling gangs from north and west County Dublin accounting for a hefty share of burglaries and thefts.
When put alongside the day-to-day policing and paperwork that is part of a front-line job, never mind the recruitment freeze and the loss of the Cavan-Monaghan Drug Unit in January, the job becomes mammoth.
Up until recently the only Garda station with access to a car outside of Bailieborough headquarters was Ballyjamesduff.
One local father who did not want to be named, bemoaned the situation saying if they were named in this paper they would be a target.
“Absolutely a target. These people have no moral compass, they don’t care for anyone or his children’s safety or well-being. If my name was used, I have no doubt that I would be targeted.
“The gardaí have been making great progress recently and I sincerely hope that they continue to do so. The town is cheering every victory they have, no matter how large or small.
“I have had 'a line’ offered to me in a pub while families socialised. People are afraid, especially for their children. I am for mine but I’m angry as well.
“I have no doubt that most people in our town feel this angry. I work hard to scrape by, while these criminals live it up, so to speak, profiting from other people’s misery. They’re the filth of the town and should be locked up. Jail’s too easy on these clowns.”
Another local, who also was unwilling for their name to be used said dealers are even bragging about their nefarious activities.
“I drove to work one morning last year and came across a raid on the house of a well-known dealer and am disgusted to see that this guy is still not locked up.
“The last time he was locked up for drug-related offences he was out well before his time was up and it did not deter him.
He has a house and multiple vehicles that are all paid for from his drug-money... He has bragged in front of my friends about how good business is, so much so that he no longer needs to work because his 'business’ is booming,” they said.

Major players

“What was presented to us last Tuesday was frightening, frightening,” says co-organiser Cllr Smyth.
“We saw examples of everything from speed to heroin, the disastrous physical effects, the mental effects... everything. Even down to the packaging of some drugs down to look like sweets, to make it more attractive to kids.
“There was shock at even just the visual packaging - fairly harmless almost eating paper for LSD, pills made-up to look like smarties... the gardaí are doing all they can, but there’s another side; of awareness, and information is a weapon in this fight. The majority of Garda time here is drug-related crime - it’s phenomenal.”
Last week, sources confirmed to The Anglo-Celt that a “major player” was being investigated for the recent €3 million heroin find in Garryross, near Virginia, is a “prominent suspect” and is also involved in so-called 'tiger kidnappings’ in the South.
The discovery “is the property of a major city player - this has cost them millions”.
“These are big players, you’re talking hundreds of thousands to get this together and on the street god knows what it could be worth, millions - it’s a huge find, because the average dealer might cut it with glucose, or whatever, and the next might do the same, it becomes lesser quality each time and more dangerous,” added the source.
Drug gangs favour derelict houses and remote locations to hide large shipments for weeks before being cut and east Cavan has fallen foul of combination of high-powered cars and the M3 making both transfer and storage easier for dealers.
“We know what’s going on and we want to give people confidence and courage to make gardaí aware of what they see - sadly, people have a lot more time on their hands now to be more observant,” said Cllr Smyth.
“But the cat is out of the bag that there is a problem and there’s no point denying it but it is important to get the message out that it’s just not good enough anymore and we’re not going to take it.”

People can contact text alert committee members Niamh Smyth on 087 998 2222 or Adrian Cahill 087 268 0864. Bailieborough gardaí can be contacted on (042) 966 5102, and the Garda district’s facebook page is 'Bailieborough District Crime Prevention’ and the Twitter feed is @bailieborocp.