Fears Drogheda drugs feud could spill over into Dundalk voiced at JPC meeting
FEARS that the drugs feud which has blighted Drogheda in recent years could spill over into Dundalk were voiced at the annual public meeting of the Dundalk Joint Policing Committee last week.
The issue was raised by Cllr Kevin Meenan who asked over ZOOM if the gardai could see a spill over from the drugs feud in Drogheda coming to Dundalk. He was, he continued, aware of some of those involved having connections in Dundalk, particularly on one side of the feud.
‘How serious of an issue is that? Should we more concerned than we are?’ he asked.
Inspector Liam Archibald replied that the drugs unit in Dundalk is very active and the figures for arrests and seizures related to drugs presented earlier at the meeting spoke for themselves.
‘Geographically we are close to Drogheda, There is some overspill,’ he said but added that the gardai had had success in Drogheda and he assured the meeting that the drugs units working in the two towns ‘do talk to each other’.
Speaking via Zoom from Drogheda Garda Station, Chief Superintendent Christy Mangan said that the possibility of an over spill of the Drogheda feud was ‘an issue that we keep an eye on.’
‘We keep a very, very close eye on it. We don’t want to end up with the proverbial war that we’ve here (Drogheda) for two years,’ he continued. ‘We will do our best to ensure it doesn’t spill over to Dundalk.’
He pointed out that there had been 72 arrests for intention to supply drugs in the first ten months of the year. ‘We have a very pro charge policy for people with drugs in excess of amounts for their own use and they will face the courts and a fair trial before a judge.’