Four Nigerians quizzed after crack cocaine haul in Ireland

John Breslin:

JUDGES have been urged to hand down heavy sentences to people convicted of producing and supplying the lethal and highly addictive narcotic crack cocaine.

Tony Gregory, a TD in Dublin’s north inner city, said he hopes the judiciary is made aware of the seriousness of the problem if crack is allowed to take hold in the city.

Three men and a woman remained in custody last night after gardaí from the city’s north central drugs unit discovered 900g of cocaine and 300g of crack cocaine in a raid on premises on the Phibsboro Road.

The four, believed to be Nigerian nationals, are being detained at Store Street station and can be held for up to seven days.

Crack is produced by mixing cocaine with either ammonia or baking soda and water. The mixture is heated to create highly addictive ‘rocks’, which are smoked through a pipe.

Mr Gregory said the find was the latest in a series in the north inner city in recent months. It follows seizures of crack cocaine in Ballybough, the North Circular Road and Moore Street.

The production and sale of crack has so far been confined mainly to a small number of people within the Nigerian community, the TD said. Less than half a dozen people, all Nigerians, have appeared in court charged with possession of crack cocaine in the past two years.

Six arrested after separate cocaine seizures in Dublin

Nine in custody after separate drug raids