GARDAÍ SEIZED DRUGS, weapons and dozens of illegal bikes and scramblers during a coordinated day of action in Ballymun today, as pressure continues to mount for tougher laws around scrambler use in public spaces.

The operation, carried out over the course of the day, involved multiple garda units operating across the Ballymun area, including community policing, roads policing, drugs units and armed support, alongside Dublin City Council dog wardens.

During the operation, 13 residential properties were searched as part of investigations into the sale and supply of controlled drugs and related criminal activity.

A total of 44 illegal bikes and scramblers were seized by gardaí, including 18 e-scooters, 14 e-bikes, two motorbikes, three Surrons and seven mini quad bikes.

Gardaí also recovered quantities of drugs, cash and weapons.

Cannabis with an estimated value of €9,000 was seized at one address, resulting in the arrest of a male in his late teens. At another location, zopiclone and alprazolam worth an estimated €2,000 were recovered and a man in his 20s was arrested.

Two further searches led to the seizure of smaller quantities of cannabis, valued at €500 and €250, and the arrest of two more men in their 20s.

Roads policing units carried out rolling checkpoints during the operation, leading to the arrest of a man in his 20s on suspicion of driving under the influence.

In total, 23 fixed charge notices were issued for a range of traffic offences, while two e-scooters and a car were seized.

All those arrested have since been charged and are due to appear before the Dublin District Court in the coming weeks.

The operation comes as the Government moves towards a ban on scramblers in public places.

Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien has said new regulations could be introduced “in a matter of weeks”, following the death of Grace Lynch in January.

The proposed measures would introduce a full ban on scrambler use in public spaces and strengthen garda enforcement powers, with the legislation expected to be named in Grace Lynch’s memory.

O’Brien has said work on the legal definition of scramblers is “well advanced”, with draft regulations currently with the Attorney General’s office and a target of having them in place by March.