Crime « Thurles Information

Suspected Cocaine, Cannabis & Alprazolam Seized In Tipperary Town Search.

Gardaí attached to the Tipperary Divisional Drugs Unit, assisted by the Limerick Dog Unit, have seized suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of over €10,000 during a search at a premises in Tipperary Town this week.

**Tipperary Divisional Drugs Unit – Drugs** **Seizure**

During the search, Gardaí also recovered alprazolam tablets and a quantity of suspected cannabis, with a combined estimated street value of €940, along with €2,200 in cash. Items believed to be associated with the sale and supply of controlled substances were also confiscated.

A male in his 20s was arrested at the scene and questioned at Tipperary Town Garda Station. He has since been charged and is due to appear before the courts in the coming weeks.

The suspected drugs will be forwarded to Forensic Science Ireland (FSI) for analysis, and investigations are ongoing.

Tipperary Beware – Fake “NCT Booking” Website Targeting Motorists Online.

Motorists are being urged to remain on high alert after reports of a fraudulent website impersonating the National Car Test (NCT) booking service, designed to mislead people into making payments without actually securing any test appointment.

This scam site has been reported as closely resembling the legitimate NCT booking pages and is understood to be appearing through search engine results, where drivers searching to book a test may be diverted to the counterfeit platform.

Recent reports indicate victims have been charged amounts ranging from approximately €60 up to €600 for what is presented as an “NCT booking” or “service fee”, but no valid booking is then made.

Only use the official NCT booking site.
The only official and legitimate website for booking or managing an NCT appointment is: ncts.ie

Motorists are advised to type the address directly into their browser rather than clicking on sponsored links or unfamiliar results.

How to protect yourself – Key advice for motorists
Book only via ncts.ie (avoid lookalike sites and “booking agents” charging extra fees).
Check the web address carefully before entering any personal or payment details.
Be cautious of sites that demand unexpected additional payments or apply pressure to pay quickly.
If in doubt, leave the page and go directly to ncts.ie in a fresh browser window.

If you think you have been scammed!
Anyone who believes they may have made a payment to a fraudulent site should act immediately:
Contact your bank or card provider without delay to report the transaction and seek advice on stopping or disputing payment.
Report the matter to your local Garda station, bringing any relevant evidence (screenshots, emails, transaction confirmations, and the web address used).

Test Purchases Show Over One in Five Vape Retailers Selling To Children.

HSE Test Purchases Show Over One in Five Vape Retailers Found Selling to Children.

Despite the under-18 sales ban, 51 retailers failed compliance checks between January and October 2025.

More than a fifth of vape shops tested are selling highly addictive vaping devices to children, despite a ban on sales to under 18 year olds, since 2023.

Between January and October last year, (2025), 51 retailers were caught selling vapes to children. This represented more than 22% of the 224 shops where inspectors carried out tests to see if the devices would be sold to under-18s.

Inspections were carried out by the HSE’s National Environmental Health Service, which is responsible for enforcing a 2023 law that banned the sale of nicotine-inhaling vaping products to children. The ban came into effect on December 22nd, 2023.

Retailers caught selling vapes to under-18s face a fine of up to €4,000 and up to six months in prison.

Tipperary: local enforcement:
While the HSE figures on failed test purchases are published nationally (and do not provide a county-by-county breakdown), HSE tobacco-control conviction lists for 2025 include recorded enforcement outcomes in Co Tipperary, including:
Thurles, Co Tipperary (HSE West / North Tipperary): a retail premises listed with an outcome of €500 fine plus €1,400 costs under Section 28 of the Public Health (Tobacco) Acts (date of court: 15 April 2025).
Cashel, Co Tipperary (HSE South / South Tipperary): a licensed premises listed with an outcome of €500 fine plus €1,150 costs under Section 47 of the Public Health (Tobacco) Acts (date of court: 5 June 2025).
Note: The published conviction list records outcomes under tobacco-control legislation and may relate to tobacco products and/or nicotine-inhaling products, depending on the case.
Details outlined HERE.

Ireland also regulates the safety, quality and advertising of vapes through a 2016 European Union directive.
Since March 2024 the HSE has had the power to carry out “test purchasing” to detect retailers who may be continuing to sell vapes to children. In 2024, the HSE carried out 256 inspections to make sure basic regulations on the sale of vapes were being upheld.
From these inspections, 14 prohibition orders stopping the sale of unregulated vapes were served on shops which the HSE felt were not complying with the law.

A proposed law to ban the sale of disposable electronic cigarettes or vapes is making its way through the Oireachtas. One of the purposes of the Bill is to make vapes less attractive or accessible to children by banning cheaper disposable vapes. It will also restrict the flavours of vapes and limit any description of a flavour other than its basic name. Colours and images on vape packaging will also be restricted.

The law is also designed to lessen the environmental impact of the disposable nicotine products.

The Public Health (Single Use Vapes) Bill is now being asked to include an outright ban on brightly coloured and sweetly flavoured nicotine devices, which, it is alleged, are targeted at children.
At committee stage on the disposable vapes Bill, the Government is understood to be addressing these issues.

Driver Arrested Attempting To Evade Tipperary Mandatory Intoxicant Checkpoint.

Driver arrested after attempting to evade Mandatory Intoxicant Checkpoint in North Tipperary.

A pregnant female motorist was arrested yesterday in North Tipperary, following an incident at a Mandatory Intoxicant Checkpoint.

Gardaí observed a vehicle attempting to avoid the checkpoint. Members attached to Killaloe Garda Station stopped the car and spoke with the driver.
A roadside drug test returned a positive indication for cocaine. Checks also indicated the vehicle was uninsured.

The pregnant driver was arrested in connection with the alleged road traffic offences and was brought to Nenagh Garda Station. The vehicle was seized and enquiries are ongoing. The results of the blood sample are currently being awaited.

Cabinet Clears Garda Powers Bill To Modernise Search, Seizure & Custody Laws.

The Cabinet has approved the publication of the Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill 2025, a major piece of legislation designed to modernise and consolidate the statutory basis for key Garda powers, placing them on a clearer and more accessible legislative footing.

Key measures in the Bill:

Reform of search warrants (including electronic devices)
Updates and reforms the law on search warrants in light of Supreme Court judgments.
Provides for tailored search warrants specifically authorising the seizure and search of electronic devices, and procedures to assess claims of privilege.
Strengthens rights for individuals to be informed about authorised access to data on seized electronic devices (Section 23), reflecting the Landeck judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Creates a statutory mechanism enabling the examination of devices seized without prior judicial approval, with appropriate authorisation arrangements.

Judicially supervised handling of privileged material.

Establishes clear statutory procedures to ensure privileged material is handled through a judicially supervised process.
Confirms legal professional privilege as absolute, and provides a structured process for other forms of privilege, including (where required) determination by the High Court under Section 24.

Stop-and-search provisions.

Introduces provisions to support greater consistency in the use and understanding of Garda stop-and-search powers.
Requires Gardaí to make a formal record of all searches, and provides for stop-and-search of a person or vehicle in a public place where Gardaí reasonably suspect possession of a relevant article (as defined in the legislation).

Custody and interview safeguards.

Places on a statutory footing the existing right of a person in custody to consult a solicitor before and during interview.
Provides for electronic recording of Garda interviews and modernises the custody framework.

The Bill is intended to clarify the law in an area that has become complex, strengthen safeguards, and provide clear procedures for dealing with privileged material, grounded in the principle that human rights are the foundation and purpose of policing.

A stamped draft of the Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill 2025 has been made available, with formal publication by the Oireachtas to follow in due course.
The Bill builds on the objective of codifying and modernising police powers of search, arrest and detention and strengthening procedural rights, as set out in the earlier general scheme (published June 2021).