GANGS openly selling drugs in day-time deals beside a Tallaght primary school

GANGS openly selling drugs in day-time deals beside a Tallaght primary school

By Maurice Garvey

DRUG-dealing in open public view has become a way of life for frustrated residents in a Tallaght estate.

Young dealers have been using public streets in Tymon North as a location to sell a multitude of narcotics – the problem becoming more prolific and brazen in the last two years.

st aongus activity 9 resized

Over the course of a two-day period this week, The Echo viewed dealers meeting customers and selling drugs in the vicinity of the Tymon Park/ St Aongus Road area.

The activity occurred in and around the same time that parents were bringing kids home from primary school at 2.30pm, and continued whilst kids went home after finishing secondary school at 4pm.

Drug users arrived to collect their goods in cars, vans, or on foot – whilst dealers either passed over the goods themselves or used runners on bicycles to do their dirty work.

Whilst drug-dealing has been problematic in parts of Tallaght since the early 1980s, the brazen nature of open public dealing in Tymon is a relatively new phenomenon – and it is a major source of concern for families living in the estate.

The Echo understands different dealers use a multitude of spots in the area to sell drugs openly with a select number of local families running the local drug trade.

The main narcotics on sale include cocaine, heroin and weed, with at least one dealer believed to be exclusively involved in the crack trade.

Residents are horrified to see dealing take place on their doorsteps, but a small group of youths intimidate any neighbours who dare to question their activities.

Recently a neighbourhood watch meeting in Tymon North was disrupted – when youths confronted speakers and gardaí at the event.

A local source said the Tymon North Park location is used for dealing as it’s “ideal for rat-runs” and difficult for garda cars to chase bicycles “towards the stream” in Bancroft Park.

A Tymon resident who did not wish to be named said: “It’s disgraceful that dealing is taking place in front of mothers collecting kids from school.

“It’s a small number of mostly young guys from the area. They give the impression they don’t care, but why are they not in college or at work, or doing some sort of training. Residents would like to see more garda action.”

Superintendent Peter Duff, from Tallaght Garda Station said: “There are ongoing detections across Tallaght every week. You will never get 100 per cent detection.

“Drug squads have targeted Tymon before, they get arrests, dealers move on. They use different spots, they’re constantly changing, and you’re working in a circle.”

One major policing obstacle is drug dealers using juveniles as “runners” and “spotters.”
“Historically, when you see kids involved, they only see the glory side – they don’t see the low life expectancy,” said Supt Duff.

“It’s supply and demand. Take one guy out and another replaces him. Nature abhors a vacuum.”

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