Gardaí tell heroin dealers of treatment options

GARDAÍ yesterday broke new ground when they advised heroin dealers of the treatment options open to them during their arrest.

In a six-week sting operation in Dublin, undercover drug officers bought heroin from 95 dealers, who are also addicts. Yesterday 27 of the community-based dealers were arrested, with the remainder due to be picked up over the coming weeks.

Drug officers targeted known dealing spots on streets and outside pubs, particularly in Ballyfermot, Ballymun, O’Connell Street and Thomas Street.

Some 600 street dealers have been charged under Operation Clean- Street since it started in 1997.

“This gives the message that we’re not ignoring communities and that drug dealers can’t operate with impunity,” a garda source said.

Regarding the new policy of advising dealers about treatment options, he said: “It’s the first time we’ve done this. We realise the street dealers are mostly addicts and a lot are selling to feed their own habit.”

Under the scheme, which is operated in conjunction with the three greater Dublin health boards, gardaí charging dealers give them a sheet setting out the contact details of local drug treatment centres.

If the dealerman makes contact with the centre, the district court could direct he be dealt with in the Drugs Court, which sets down a treatment regime rather than a custodial sentence.

Drug campaigners point out that those availing of treatment will have to join the queue, which varies considerably between health boards.

There are currently 133 people on the waiting list for methadone treatment in the South Western Area Health Board and 51 in the Northern Area Health Board. There is no backlog in the East Coast Area Health Board.

Operation Clean-Street was welcomed yesterday by Justice Minister Michael McDowell, Minister of State with responsibility for drugs Noel Ahern and drug campaigners.

“The operation shows communities the drugs issue is still a priority and effort has been put in,” said Anna Quigley of the Citywide Drugs Crisis Campaign. She particularly welcomed the new development of providing advice to those arrested.

“It’s a recognition that a lot of dealing on the streets is by users selling to feed their own habit. If you want to have an impact on them in the future, then one of the more effective ways is to give them the option of treatment.”

Mr Ahern said the operation sent out the message that gardaí would go after dealers at all levels. And he welcomed the approach to help those arrested.

“They may well do with good advice. It’s an opportunity to point them in the right direction at a time when they might be in the mood to listen,” he said.

Operation Clean-Street was carried out by the Garda National Drugs Unit and divisional drugs unit throughout Dublin.