Garda raid on poitín operation targetting homeless people ‘will save lives’

People working on the frontline of Cork’s homeless crisis say lives will be saved after gardaí raided a ‘Polish poitín’ operation which was selling hundreds of litres of illicit alcohol to rough sleepers.

While the ‘bottling site’ has been identified, investigations are ongoing to locate the source of the potentially lethal ethanol.

Sources believe it is the first time an illicit alcohol operation aimed at rough sleepers on this scale has been uncovered in Ireland.

The hooch was being sold in 500ml plastic water bottles for between €10 and €13. The operation had the capacity to distribute up to 240 litres a week, and possibly generate over €6,240 a week for those involved.

Cork Simon spokesman Paul Sheehan described it as a “new low” and said he was appalled at the tactics involved. “We have heard occasionally and anecdotally about this kind of product being available on the streets but not on this scale and not involving these tactics,” he said.

“We are appalled that anyone would target people who are already vulnerable, and who are in many cases already dependent on alcohol. This is about as low as you can go.”

Catriona Twomey of Cork Penny Dinners said lives will be saved thanks to yesterday’s raid. “Young people were ravaged by this stuff. They were shadows of themselves. There would have been more deaths on the streets because of it. We are grateful to the gardaí and the other agencies for taking it off the streets,” she said.

The multi-agency raid followed a lengthy and detailed investigation involving gardaí and Revenue officials.

Detective Inspector Danny Coholan said gardaí attached to the Anti-Social Behaviour Unit at Anglesea Street Garda Station became suspicious in June after encountering a number of rough sleepers consuming suspected illicit alcohol from plastic water bottles.

Following inquiries, a suspect in his mid-30s from Eastern Europe was identified and a surveillance operation was mounted.

The suspect bought crates of 500ml plastic water bottles from a local supermarket — up to 10 crates (240 bottles) at a time but on some occasions, up to 20 — and brought them back to a rented property on the northside of the city, where they were emptied and refilled with the illicit alcohol, believed to be twice the strength of regular brand vodka.

The suspect made up to five trips a day to the city centre to distribute the alcohol to buyers.

It was also established that a “credit system” was being used whereby customers’ dole cards were retained and given back to them on dole day so they could collect their social welfare payments and pay up.

The investigation resulted in yesterday’s raid on an apartment on Grattan Hill by gardaí from the Anti-Social Behaviour Unit, members of the Detective Branch from Watercourse Road Garda Station, Revenue officials, and officials from the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and HSE.

They seized about 60 litres of pure ethanol, hundreds of plastic bottles, around €3,000 in cash, and an extendable baton. There were no arrests and the Garda investigation is ongoing.

Revenue investigations relating to excise matters are ongoing, and the Food Safety Authority and HSE may mount a prosecution from a public health concern.