A concerted, targeted, intelligence-led Garda campaign against drug dealers in County Galway has been highly successful, with at least two detections of drugs for sale or supply every week on average so far this year – and more raids planned.

Local Garda crime analyst Olivia Maher confirmed there were 82 incidents of possession of drugs for sale or supply in County Galway in the year to the end of August.

Garda Chief Superintendent Gerard Roche said the seizures in recent months had been “astronomical” because “we’ve attacked it . . . put extra resources into it” cracking down on drug dealers, and organised crime. They would continue to “attack”, he said.

Detective Superintendent Shane Cummins told the County Galway Joint Policing Committee (JPC) that nine arrests were made in Ballinasloe last week in one of the latest operations against organised crime in the Galway Garda Division.

These would be pursued through the courts, he said, and further intelligence-led targeted operations were planned.

Ms Maher said the 82 detections of possession of drugs for sale or supply represented an increase of 228% on the same period in 2022 when there were 25 incidents.

It was by far the highest detection rate for raids of drug dealers in recent years. In the first seven months of 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, there were 34, 29, 43, 31 and 25 incidents logged on the Garda Pulse system respectively.

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