Cllr Ryan lauds ‘second to none’ garda response to Ballinrobe crime activity

THE policing response to ongoing crime activity in Ballinrobe has been lauded as ‘second to none’ by a local county councillor.

Speaking to The Mayo News yesterday (Monday), Cllr Damien Ryan welcomed the recent seizure of €70,000 worth of suspected cocaine by Gardaí from a property in the town. Cash worth €4,200 was also seized during a search in Ballinrobe as part of Operation Tara. The search, which was conducted by the Divisional Drug Unit, was targeting criminality and drug dealing in the South Mayo area.

A man in his early 50s was arrested at the scene and detained at a Garda station in Mayo under the provisions of Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996. The man appeared before a special sitting of Galway District Court on July 1 and is due before Castlebar District Court on July 19.  The seized substance was sent to Forensic Science Ireland (FSI) for analysis.

Cllr Ryan – who is a member of Mayo’s Joint Policing Committee (JPC) – said tackling drug dealing had been the ‘number one priority’ for the JPC.

“They’re certainly acting on it. I have to acknowledge what the Super[intendent] and Chief Super[indent] are doing,” the Fianna Fáil councillor said.

“There has been a reaction to trouble in Ballinrobe that has been second to none. That has to be acknowledged in the strongest possible terms. It’s targeted at what the problems are.”

Earlier last month, seven men were arrested and appeared before Castlebar District Court on charges of serious assault, violent disorder, possession of weapons and drugs offences following a major Garda operation in the town.

A total of 85 Gardaí were involved in the operation which saw properties searched in Ballinrobe and Galway city.