Operation targeting local drug dealers a success, JPC told

An undercover garda drugs operation in Westmeath resulted in several arrests and the seizure of over €100,000 in property and cash, members of the Joint Policing Committee heard last week. Operation Ruby Throat ran from March 2022 to this month.

Detections relating to the possession of drugs for sale and supply increased by almost 100 per cent in Mullingar and by over 150 per cent in Athlone last year, Detective Superintendent David Nolan told JPC members.

He said that Operation Ruby Throat was designed to target street dealers in an attempt to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute drugs trafficking networks. It was headed by Detective Inspector Tom Quinn and Detective Sergeant Adrian Regan, along with a team of undercover gardai, and supported by local units.

Undercover Gardai made 54 purchases of various types of drugs including heroin, cocaine, cannabis, Xanax and ecstasy. A number of offenders were detected committing multiple offences on multiple occasions. The test purchasing part of the operation came to an end in spring 2023.

The second phase started last July and involved the arrest and prosecution of people identified as selling and supplying drugs. Business properties connected to suspects were searched and property worth in the region of €100,000 was seized including a caravan, a jeep, a trailer and two cars, a wide array of designer clothing and footwear, and €4,000.

Three were arrested for links to organised crime gangs and seven for money laundering. There were 56 arrests for the sale and supply of drugs and 62 for possession, as well as arrests for obstructing gardai and possession of a firearm.

Superintendent Nolan said the operation assisted in targeting known offenders but, crucially, it also identified new, previously unknown persons involved in the sale and supply of controlled drugs.