Man held in Garda probe into Cork drugs party

Gardaí have arrested a man and seized a quantity of the suspected designer drug 2C-B as part of their investigation into a drugs party in Cork City which has left a teenager fighting for his life.

They also seized a quantity of ecstasy tablets and arrested three more people during a separate search of an address on the southside of the city.

The arrests and drug seizures came as doctors continue to treat an 18-year-old boy who remained in a critical condition at Cork University Hospital (CUH) last night after the incident on Tuesday.

He was among six people who were rushed to CUH after becoming unwell at a rented house on St Patrick’s Terrace, on Green Street.

Gardaí and public health experts believe those attending the party ingested the highly potent synthetic psychedelic drug 2C-B, prompting the HSE to issue a public warning about possibly contaminated party pills.

Superintendent Tom Myers said officers spoke to the five people who were discharged from hospital and launched a series of raids on Tuesday afternoon.

They arrested a 29-year-old man at an address in what gardaí said was the College Road area. They seized a quantity of what they believe is 2C-B. The substance is being tested at the state laboratory in Dublin.

The man, who was detained overnight at the Bridewell Garda Station, was questioned on suspicion of supplying the drug believed to have been ingested by those at the house party.

He was released without charge yesterday and a file is being prepared for the DPP.

In a separate search of another address in the same part of the city, gardaí arrested three people after seizing a quantity of MDMA, widely known as ecstasy, with an estimated street value of €2,000.

The Union of Students in Ireland has urged young people to stay away from 2C-B.

“We need to recognise that drug use happens and young people experiment,” USU president Kevin Donoghue said. “We need to ensure that young people are being educated on the risks in a way that is relative to them.

“That is how we keep them safe — by arming them with information. The ‘just say no’ campaign simply doesn’t work.

“We are urging students to stay away from the 2C-B drug because it can have serious side effects, both psychologically and physically, such as paranoia, hallucinations, kidney problems and gastrointestinal effects.”