‘No village that doesn’t have a drug dealer’

A senior garda has said there is no village or small town in Clare that does not have a drug dealer.

At a meeting of the Co Clare joint policing committee last night, Chief Supt John Kerin reported that Section 15 drug offences had increased by 68% in the first 10 months of 2013, compared with the same period in 2012.

There have been 74 Section 15 offences in Clare district so far this year, compared to 44 for the corresponding period in 2012. The offences refer to large quantities of drugs that are considered to be for sale or supply.