People as young as 15 ‘owned by drugs gangs’ over debts

A LIMERICK taxi driver who made a drugs drop to help pay off a debt was jailed yesterday for four years at Limerick Circuit Court.

Earlier, the inaugural meeting of the Limerick City Joint Policing Committee was told drugs gangs in the city now “own” people as young as 15 over unpaid debts.

At Limerick Circuit Court, Anthony Terry, aged 32, of Glasgow Park, admitted possessing 10kg of cannabis worth €40,000 for sale or supply.

The court heard he had a debt of €6,000 which he borrowed to buy a van and this had been sold on to a drugs dealer by his original lender. Because of delays in making repayments the debt spiralled to €15,000.

The drugs dealer threatened to rape the taximan’s wife and 13-year-old daughter if he did not come up with the money.

Detective Sergeant Con McCarthy told the court that gardaí had a van under surveillance near the Four Elms pub in Drombanna on the outskirts of the city on July 20, 2005. A taxi pulled up and when gardaí approached Terry they asked him what he had in bags they found in the boot.

He said they were tools he had been asked to deliver there. Gardaí found the drugs in black bin liners.

Terry told them the drugs dealer said if he did not pay up the debt he had taken over, they would break into his house and rape his wife and young daughter.

The taxi driver got a phone call and was told they would go easy on him if he did a drop for them.

At the time he was so afraid he put cameras at the front and back of his house.

After Judge Carroll Moran passed sentence a number of women left the public gallery in tears.

Limerick’s drugs problem was also highlighted at the meeting of the committee.

This is one of 22 set up nationwide as part of a Government strategy to involve politicians and community leaders with gardaí in the fight against crime.

Cllr John Gilligan said the drugs issue must be a priority as it was now a 1 billion-a-year business.

While campaigns are waged against drink driving and other issues, Mr Gilligan said it was a case of “don’t mention the war” when it came to drugs.

“Drug-taking is now a mainstream recreational activity. People as young as 15 and 16 are now owned by drugs gangs and for as little as €100 would kill you or burn down your house.”

He implied they were “owned” because they had to pay off their drug debts.