'Raid house parties', Ahern tells gardaí
11/12/2007 - 19:19:57Gardaí should raid house parties to search for cocaine, the Taoiseach told the Dáil.
The recent drug-linked deaths of three young people was raised by Opposition parties who called for tougher action from the Government.
John Grey, 23, who was laid to rest today, was the second man to die after eating damp cocaine at a house party in Waterford City a fortnight ago.
Socialite Katy French was buried in Co Wicklow yesterday as detectives continue to probe the circumstances surrounding her death.
Reacting to public outrage at the growing cocaine culture, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern today told the Dail he would like to see gardai raiding house parties to search for drugs.
“The question I have asked more than once in the past week is why don’t gardai go into house parties where people are using cocaine,” he said.
“The gardaí have strong powers in this area and I would like to see them enforced more strongly. I want to be frank about that.”
Mr Ahern added that the drugs were not just being used in pubs and clubs in cities and towns.
He told TDs that the issue was rarely off the Cabinet table whether through gangland activity related to drugs, seizures related to the Criminal Assets Bureau or additional powers for the criminal justice system.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny asked: “Is it not time that there was a Cabinet-led initiative to deal with drug dealers, drug barons, drug pimps?”
Labour leader Eamon Gilmore added: “We have to smash the supply chain of cocaine and of other illicit drugs and we have to smash the drug gangs who are supplying drugs to our society.”
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