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LOCALS IN PHIBSBOROUGH say they’re shocked and frustrated at the level of street crime, as drug dealers openly trade in crack cocaine at the North Dublin area’s main shopping centre.
There are concerns the worsening situation may be linked to cutbacks to garda drug units that normally patrol the area.
Use of the drug – which provides users with a short, intense high much stronger than powder cocaine – has been on the increase in Dublin city centre since the summer of 2017.
More recently, there have been reports of open dealing of the drug in other areas of the city and in some suburbs.
On a recent weekday morning at Phibsborough shopping centre TheJournal.ie witnessed half a dozen suspected drug deals and a fist fight where one man punched another several times from above in what gardaí suspect was a row over drugs.
At one point, a woman apparently dealing drugs crossed the road holding cash and several small packets of suspected crack cocaine.
The fight broke out shortly afterwards as shoppers continued to carry groceries out to their cars from the bustling supermarket.
The centre, which is soon to be redeveloped, is housed beneath a landmark building which also happens to house the headquarters of Garda representative organisations the GRA and AGSI.
All incidents we witnessed occurred from around 11am.
Informed sources described to this website how the woman selling suspected crack-cocaine and her partner were the main dealers of the drug in the Phibsborough and Cabra areas of Dublin.
Lithuanian gangs are also back dealing in the area and control most of the heroin supply, sources say.
A large number of street drug users have also made their way back to areas such as Phibsborough and the North Circular Road (NCR).
There are concerns that this is because there is a lower police presence in the area.
Both the NCR and Phibsborough were previously the target of a Divisional Drugs Unit which carried out undercover operations across the area.
Dealers, users and other petty criminals were routinely searched and had drugs confiscated.
Due to the high garda presence, many users and dealers who were frequenting the area moved back to locations closer to the city centre.
However, patrols of the northside area by the drug unit have reduced after a shake-up within a north Dublin drugs unit.
Five members of one drugs unit were removed and sent to new stations. New and relatively inexperienced officers replaced them.
A spokesman for the Garda Press Office said that the Divisional Drugs Unit was still fully operational and that a number of new officers had recently been added to it.
There is still a garda presence by those attached to uniform divisions but the frequency of patrols as a whole has reduced.
There are still armed support patrols in the area, but their main focus is to prevent serious violent crime.
Sinn Féin councillor Janice Boylan, who lives in the affected area, said she witnessed drug crime and anti-social behaviour every day.
“What we’ve seen now is an increase in crime in the area. The numbers have increased because there’s no visibility out there.
“Not as many gardaí are being able to stop and search people they suspect of being involved in criminal activity.
“There are children who are afraid to use public spaces because of rampant drug use and it’s not good enough.
I live here. I see people outside clinics or begging outside shops, drinking in public, causing trouble in parks. It’s unworkable – families have been calling me saying there is nowhere to bring their young family because the parks are just too dangerous.
Garda problems
Gardaí based on Dublin’s northside have been trying to combat the rise of the drug with the resources they have.
Cuts to overtime as well as staffing changes with drug units have led to what has been described by informed sources as a ‘slowdown’.
Intelligence gathering has stalled in certain stations such as Store Street, meaning that areas which would have previously had active undercover units now don’t.
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Proper rehab supports, and use of a Vagrany Act, would have this blight dealt with once and for all. Certainly those will a dependecy issue need our help, but as they are incapable of making good life choices State intervention is required.Yes sectioned under the mental health act. Its gone on for to long now and Government appears turns a blind eye because of cost no doubt and the usual liberalised brigade. But the cost in the long run is the city becomes a cess pit.
@Martin Critten: *vagrancy*
@Martin Critten: section everyone who has an addiction problem under the mental health act?? What a stupid comment. Do you have any idea of the cost of that? Are you stoned or hungover ?? Your comment just keeps contradicting itself. You say give them proper rehab supports then suggest sectioning all under the mental health act. Then you say the govt turns a blind eye because of the cost then suggest the govt spends money by putting them all in hospital beds in psychiatric units?? Nuts
@Martin Critten: It’s not up state to sort out people who are dependent on drugs.
@Roy Dowling: and there’s me thinking that was the exact job of state bodies like the garda and customs, to stop people from getting these drugs. Shows how much I know….
@John Smith: no John you the * one, happy to see no boundaries and no actions taken on a section of our society who clearly can’t cope. The cost of this ruination is in tourism and business and in civic well-being too. Sectioning under mental health IS providing support to those who haven’t the mental capacity to deal alone with their addiction. And gets them into a system of rehab and care. And yes Government shirks its responsibilities when money is involved. But that’s what its going to take from them to clean both people and our streets up.
@Martin Critten: you haven’t got a clue what your talking about Martin . I agree the govt shirks responsibility but forcefully taking people off the streets and locking them up in mental health institutions would make the situation 100 times worse. Dealing with the issues that introduced them to drink or drugs is the solution
@John Smith: the mother of all assumptions is called st*pidity. We are talking about issues that have gone beyond the notion of a drink or a smoke. Yes educate. But there’s a clean up job to be done. And those hundreds on the streets were once in institutions (but those doors were never locked tho) that’s a myth.
@Martin Critten: do you have any clue how the mental health act works?
@Martin Critten: ye but you assume we can just enforce the mental health act on people with no basis other than they’ve an addiction problem. That’s the height of stupidity.I’ve worked in the addiction field for over 10 years I’ve a degree in addiction studies. Going around like some dog catcher putting people into institutions against their will won’t work . We’ve a history in this country of doing that. Look how that worked out
@samstheman: no he doesn’t it’s just his solution to something he knows nothing about
@John Smith: how would you stop the behaviour described in this article? There are other people who live in this area & they have rights also.
Ah what’s new. Wife saw people lighting heroin on a spoon on the Luas. Lovely.
@Eugene Tyson: you mean cooking.
@Eugene Tyson: the things you see on the Luas are awful, I saw a guy tying his arm ready to shoot up a few years ago. I avoid the Luas these day unless it’s the only way to get somewhere.
In fairness to the Gardai it must be soul destroying to be going out arresting people, getting the case to court and then the judge to just give them a slap on the wrist over and over again- 70 previous convictions…had a tough upbringing, blah blah blah. Nothing will change until the laws are toughened up and more prisons are built.
@Stoneybroke: can’t staff the prisons we already have. The private route is not an option, have you seen the mess the UK prison are in?? Staff the prisons we have properly and open the facilities that are already there.
@Stoneybroke: agree with you the judicial system is broken and has been for several years. Time to address this is long overdue. Also should be looking at deporting the foreign Gang members back to where they came from never to return here. The guards are facing a loosing battle on a daily basis. Change is needed now.
A couple of local lads,a van, balaclavas, baseball bats and up to Sallys Gap with them…..it worked in neighbourhoods in the 80`s – and YES before anyone asks, i AM talking about vigilantism, We can either see our kids go down the drugs route, or take it out of the area for them, thus giving them a better childhood than seeing all this around them.
@Pixie McMullen: ask their boss’ representative in the Republic of ireland, maybe she’ll do it. https://www.thejournal.ie/ireland-rejoining-the-commonwealth-4174082-Aug2018/
@John Mulligan: what are you blithering on about this time ya eejit -what has Mary Lou got to do with the drug epidemic in Dublin – it`s your mate Leo that is letting this happen on his watch
@John Mulligan: PS, the head on you doing your book signing in Waterstones makes you look like you are strung out
@Pixie McMullen: the problem there is you only target low level street dealers/foot soldiers. The lads at the top are still living in fancy houses driving fancy cars. What frustrates me is the state, the gards CAB seem to wait till these guys are too big then go after them. They should put them out of business as soon as they’re on the radar
@John Smith: I agree somewhat with you john, but if you take away the foot soldiers, there is no one to make the big money for the untouchables, make it so scary for anyone to sell in a neighbourhood, not knowing if a van driving by is full of lads with baseball bats, they don`t care about the Gardaí – but it`s a different story when the sentence is a good hiding and a dumping up in Sallys Gap
@Pixie McMullen: go up the DALLY GAP YOURSELF.
Where are the Gardai?
Government funding insufficient?
Usual questions but never any answers
@Tom: They’re protecting big business interests,and politicians houses. Didn’t you know?
@Tom: in Phibsborough they’re a stones throw away from this shopping centre in Mountjoy garda station. I’m sorry but no amount of excuses about overtime and cutbacks can excuse a station full of gardai from failing to deal with a drug dealing culture literally outside their front door.
@GrumpyAulFella: a station FULL ? You are having a laugh
@GrumpyAulFella: the gardai have been turned into a total reactive force, not given the time or essentials to deal with pro active policing. They can only operate in a re active manner these days spending the day going to call to call that are carried over from the previous shift working.
@Gus Sheridan: how many gardai does it take to arrest a female drug dealer outside the front door?
@O Hiongardail Collie: so they cannot walk up the road and lift a couple of drug dealers selling outside their front door? No excuses for this. A journalist has already done all of the police work for them. All they have to do is lift them and drag them down the road to the holding cells.
@GrumpyAulFella: that would be a waste of time as the prisons are all full. More prisons need to be built ASAP
@GrumpyAulFella: none if they are not available
Instead of trying to buy voters with offers of tax cuts.
Fund the guards the health system and put people in houses.
When I lived in Dublin I saw a whole lot more people on drugs/drug dealing in public, on transport, than I do in Barcelona, that doesn’t mean it’s not there but it’s not as visible and prevalent as in Dublin. Marijuana is also unofficially legal (you can join marijuana clubs and smoke it there), freeing up resources to catch more problematic drugs
@Catalanista: Dublin has a severe drug problem I agree, but I never felt safe in Barcelona! So many homeless, people pushing carts collecting garbage, children of those people resting on park benches. I wouldn’t go back in a hurry.
@Linda Condron: Barcelona is much safer than Dublin. Pickpocketing is a big issue, but violent crime is much less than Dublin.
Leo said last night everything is going great in the country so we should be grateful for all we’ve got
Bring in the army. They do shag all anyway. Post two at every corner with their machine guns. Give them license to fire if threatened. Bring in internment. Use a barracks as a prison for anyone with anything to do with drugs. Lock em up. Get the message out that you play with fire, the army lock you up. Take our fupping country back from these criminals, killers and losers
The next bid seizure the guards get riddle it with poison and give it away to them all . In a couple of days get a bin Lorry to go around picking up what’s left and burn the lot. Problem solved.
@stephen darling: I don’t see why they just dont round them up and neuter both males and females,make them sterile so they can’t produce offspring who will end up in care,or as the next generation of druggies with moped voices
@stephen darling: you’d do well as a government adviser – in the Philippines :)
What an absolute failure FG have been on crime. All politics is local unless you a constituent of Pascal O’Donohue.
Perhaps if they spent less time and resources ensnaring and persecuting the new criminal (motorists) they might make an impact on real criminal issues!
@Patricia Roe: real criminals cost money. Middle class motorists make money.
Straight outta phibsborough
“The centre, which is soon to be redeveloped, is housed beneath a landmark building which also happens to house the headquarters of Garda representative organisations the GRA and AGSI” says it all really just do your job and quit with the excuses about resources and overtime and wages ,when The Queen came here I’ve never seen so many Gardai in my life they were on every street corner even on the m50 there were hundreds of them all for just for one person then they disappeared into the abyss ,the inner city north and south is a bloody disgrace with all the open drug use and dealers swamping the area the boardwalk is like a set from The Walking dead no capital city would tolerate this .
I saw a movie once where a garda went undercover. Gained evidence made arrests and suspects went to prison. It was a relevation
See blood dribbling down arms every day on Thomas st. Same as 20 years ago, obviously this doesn’t bother enough people yet.
Is that it?! That’s EVERY hour in kilmayhem. The junkies need to get together and work out who’s going to get it together.
Now this is a quality article. Great work.
Why don’t they make these drugs illegal as if they are so easy to spot all they have to do is go over arrest them and take them to a garda station charge them and then they will have to go to court and face going into the Irish prison system that will surely frighten them and they will stop their activities….
Ffs…. it’s blatantly obvious that these sc#mba#s, don’t give a shit about the area, the people or a generation of our children that are inevitably going to be lost due to their death-dealing! Time for the community to step in and take these yokes out of our society once and for all! If this government won’t look after its citizens, it’s time for citizens to look after themselves! If locals can witness this open dealing, why aren’t the cops arresting them! People that witness this should take a pic, print it out and take it to their nearest Garda station, they have to do something! One or two suggestions, but Wtf are we meant to do?
Sure God love them..
Society has broken down. Bring the Army in.
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