US airstrikes dent sale of heroin in Ireland

AMERICAN airstrikes on a major opium growing region in Afghanistan and the rise in cannabis “grow houses” has been attributed to a huge fall in the use of heroin in Cork.

Gardaí have reported that, for the first few months of this year, heroin was scarce on the streets of Cork, compared to previous years when it was gaining a foothold and contributing to a number of overdose deaths.

Supt Charlie Barry, who is in charge of policing on the southside of the city, said recent US bombings in Afghanistan had put a big dent in the worldwide supply of opium, from which heroin was made, and that obviously had an effect on the amount available in Cork.