Gardaí target €400k a year operation selling poitin to rough sleepers in Cork
Gardaí and Revenue have raided a home and seized a large volume of illegal homemade high-potency alcohol which was being sold to rough sleepers in Cork.
Known on the streets as Russian or Polish poteen, it was being sold on the streets in 500ml bottles for up to €13.
It’s believed that between 120 – 240 litres of this illicit alcohol was being sold per week.
Several thousand euros of cash and an extendable baton were also seized during the multi-agency operation. There have been no arrests and investigations are ongoing.
The raid on the northside of Cork city was mounted at 8.30am following a lengthy investigation involving gardaí and Revenue and Customs officials.
It began in June after gardaí became concerned about the appearance of homemade alcohol on the streets, and the effects it was having on rough sleepers.
A suspect was identified and an extensive surveillance operation was mounted.
It was discovered that the suspect was buying several crates a week of 500ml plastic water bottles from a local supermarket and taking them back to a property.
The suspect was buying up to 480 bottles a week.
The suspect was then pouring the illicit alcohol into the plastic bottles and was making up to five trips a day to the city centre to sell the hooch to rough sleepers.
It is also believed that the suspect was retaining the dole cards of the people he was selling to and rendezvousing with them on dole day, to ensure payment.
The extensive investigation, which came to light on the Neil Prendeville Show on Cork's Red FM this morning, led to the execution this morning of a search warrant by Revenue, supported by gardaí from the anti-social behaviour unit at Anglesea Street Garda Station and the detective unit at Watercourse Rd garda station, of a rented property on Grattan Hill, off Lower Glanmire Road.
The house was being rented by a 36-year-old man from Eastern Europe.
Inside, officers found plastic containers with a large volume of high-strength ethanol which was ready for pouring and packaging into smaller 500ml plastic water bottles.
While it’s believed that the ethanol was being diluted to a certain extent with water, the poteen was of extremely high strength.
Beer has an alcohol by volume (ABV) content ranging from 4 to 5%, wine has an ABV of around 12-16%, while well-known whiskey, gin and vodka brands have an ABV of anything from 36-50%.
While tests on this poteen are awaited, it’s believed it could have an ABV could be up to twice that of the strongest vodka, posing serious health risks.
The investigation, which is ongoing, also involves the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and the Health Service Executive.
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