Thurles Information

A man, named locally as Noel McGrath, has sadly died and a woman has been injured following a road traffic collision, which happened around 12.50pm yesterday.
The collision involved two vehicles on the N7 at Ballyhiskey, Carrigatoher, Nenagh, Co Tipperary.

The driver of one car, a man in his 60’s, was removed by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick, where he was later pronounced lifeless.

A front seat passenger in the same vehicle, a woman understood to be also in her 60’s, was removed to University Hospital Limerick, with injuries being reported as non-life threatening.

The driver of the second vehicle involved in this collision failed to remain at the scene.

Gardaí at Nenagh are appealing for any witnesses to this fatal collision, to come forward, especially those who were travelling on the N7 roadway between Nenagh and Birdhill between 12:30pm and 1:15pm, and who may possess camera footage.

Persons with information are asked to call Nenagh Garda Station Tel: 067 31333, the Garda Confidential Line Tel: 1800 666 111, or indeed any Garda Station.

Garda District Drug Units continue their war on those selling misery here in Co. Tipperary.

Gardaí have seized €1,630 of suspected drugs and cash in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, yesterday.
Shortly after 8:00pm members of the Clonmel District Drugs Unit and Clonmel Community Policing Unit carried out a search at a house in the Elm Park area of the town.
Gardaí located and seized suspected Xanax and Diazepam tablets worth approximately €1,300, together with a small amount of suspected cannabis herb.
Gardaí also seized €330 in cash and a mobile phone.
While no arrests were made yesterday; investigating Gardaí are following a definite line of enquiry.

As part of an ongoing operation targeting the sale and supply of drugs here in Co Tipperary; Gardaí from the Divisional Drugs Unit, ably assisted by Nenagh Gardaí, executed a search warrant on a house in the town of Nenagh North Tipperary on Saturday last.

During the course of this search Gardaí uncovered and seized suspected cocaine with a street value of some €6,000, together with a weighing scale.

A man, aged in his late 30’s, was duly arrested, but has since been released. A file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

Europol’s 2019 Drug Markets Report
According to Europol’s 2019 Drug Markets Report, rather than sell drugs to local dealers in provincial towns, organised crime groups continue to sell their drugs product themselves. Provincial towns are considered attractive markets to gain direct access to both the local drug users and other potential new customers, with the end user buying directly from big-city criminals, who are more likely to use extreme violence in the enforcement of any outstanding debts.

Irish drug gangs operate a three-tier structure. At the top are located the serious players/importers, who are most often linked through family ties.

They in turn control the middle tier, latter comprising criminals engaged in high-risk, often low-reward activities, such as transporting, holding and dealing the drugs. These individuals carrying guns, and conduct shootings, beatings and other serious intimidation.

At the bottom is a large number of usually highly disadvantaged young people, latter who are often addicted themselves. It is this bottom tier that carry out the bulk of local intimidations and according to Europol, their typical activities are bullying, assaulting, stealing, vandalising and spreading fear on behalf of the overall network.

There are 700 psychoactive substances/drugs being sold on the European market today, the effects of which can be devastating to both users and their families. The end result is that, almost every day, one person dies from drug poisoning here in Ireland and the majority of those who die are male and in their late 30’s.