Drugs crackdown: 4,200 dealers caught

DRUG dealers and users are bearing the brunt of a Garda crackdown on the narcotics trade.

Figures have revealed nearly 1,100 drug dealers were nabbed by officers in the third quarter of 2008 (ending September) and 4,200 have been apprehended in the past 12 months.

Drug users are also being hit, with more than 5,100 caught in the third quarter (Q3) and nearly 17,000 being arrested in the year ending September.