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Inishowen's drug drive shock
19.02.08
AROUND a fifth of all
drivers stopped for drink driving in Inishowen in
the last six months tested positive for traces of
drugs including cannabis, amphetamines or cocaine,
shock new figures reveal.
The startling statistics were released after a drugs
sniffer dog was deployed in the peninsula at the
weekend to boost the Garda fight against drugs
possession and drug-driving. |
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The dog, a labrador
called Murphy, assisted at a number of checkpoints
in the area on Saturday night including along the
border at Muff, Burnfoot and Burt.
Garda Sergeant John O'Keeffe said while the dog -
which has detected €60m worth of drugs in its seven
years with the Garda National Drugs Unit – sniffed
out traces of illicit drugs in some |
of the cars stopped,
there wasn't enough to secure a conviction.
However, he revealed that a startling trend had
emerged during a recent clampdown on drugs and
drugs-driving in the peninsula.
"People driving on drugs is unfortunately an
increasing feature in Inishowen. We have been
detecting quite a lot of people driving while under
the influence of drugs and in some cases under the
influence of a mixture of drugs and alcohol," said
Sgt. O'Keeffe.
"We are detecting a variety of intoxicating drugs
including amphetamines, cannabis and cocaine and
would estimate that we are making detections in
nearly one in every twenty cases during either
random checkpoints, at the scene of accidents or
when someone is reported to us for driving
erratically," he added.
Sgt. O'Keeffe said people needed to be aware of the
danger they posed while driving under the influence
of drugs. "When people are high on drugs, or a
mixture of drugs and alcohol, their senses are
severely impaired and they pose a significant danger
on the road. We will be continuing our clampdown on
this type of behaviour in the weeks and months
ahead," he said. He said a number of prosecutions
were also pending in relation to the recent
detections.
Murphy’s Law
Meanwhile, bringing Murphy the labrador from Dublin
to the peninsula and Letterkenny at the weekend was
a pilot initiative between the Donegal Division
Traffic Corps and the Donegal Garda Drugs Unit.
A spokesperson said the aim was to stamp out the
transportation of illicit drugs to Donegal clubbers
at the weekend. More checkpoints will be carried out
on various weekends in the coming year, the
spokesperson added. |
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