To its critics, Project Prevention or Crack - an American organisation which pays drug addicts and alcoholics to be sterilised - is a terrifying throwback to the neutering of "defectives" during the 20th Century. But the woman who runs this not-for-profit programme believes she is offering a service to everyone: the drug addict, the taxpayer, the child who has not yet been born, and if she has her way - will never be born. As the programme reaches its fifth anniversary, Barbara Harris also believes she has cause to celebrate. [continues 959 words]
An even more dangerous version of the drug ecstasy which has been circulating in Europe is threatening to enter the Dublin drugs scene. A number of seizures of the drug, paramethoxyamphetamine or PMA, which looks identical to the ecstasy tablet, have been made in Europe. The British National Criminal Intelligence Service yesterday confirmed some had been made in Britain. The drug has not been detected in recent seizures in Ireland. The drug is released more slowly into the system than regular ecstasy. This could lead a person to believe a tablet is having no effect and take another. [continues 241 words]
Heroin addiction in Dublin's south inner city is over eight times higher than in the rest of the city, a conference was told yesterday. Mr Vincent Doherty, co-ordinator of the area's Local Drugs Task Force, said a recent report estimated 17.5 per cent of 15-24 year old males in the area were heroin addicts. This compared to an overall Dublin average of 2.1 per cent and a European average of 0.3 per cent. He was speaking at "Re-creating Hope", a conference reviewing the fight against drugs in the Liberties area. Voluntary workers, professionals and local people affected by drugs attended. He said the drugs problem was fuelled by underlying factors. "Current levels of resources are only a drop in the ocean to what is required to turn around the major social problems involved. [continues 178 words]
A new initiative to help recovering north Dublin drug addicts obtain employment has been commended by the Minister of State for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Mr Eoin Ryan. The Labour Inclusion Programme will initially run as a two-year pilot scheme catering for 20 recovering addicts. A range of bodies including ICTU, IBEC, Northside Partnership, the Local Drugs Task Force, Citywide and community and voluntary service providers will work together on the programme. Mr Ryan said he had no hesitation in recommending the scheme to Government. "The new programme could be described as the final stage of a process which will see people move from treatment towards full reintegration into society." [continues 246 words]
The risk of drug usage by young people is higher during summer, the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has warned. The society yesterday launched a new drugs awareness initiative based at drop-in centres for children. Ms Caroline O'Sullivan, the ISPCC's assistant director of services, said surveys carried out by the organisation had repeatedly shown that young people identified alcohol, drugs and tobacco as the greatest problems they face. "We would urge parents to be especially vigilant of their children over the summer months as there are more people about and drugs become more widely available. The children are more at risk of dabbling in drugs because they are out of school, out of their usual structured activities and are not as closely supervised," Ms O'Sullivan added. [continues 314 words]
Police in The Hague have directly connected two Dutch nationals in their early 20s to the killings of the three Irishmen in the city two months ago. One suspect has admitted he carried out the killings, while the second confirmed he was present in the apartment in Scheveningen, a seaside resort outside the city. The public prosecutor's office yesterday described the men as a 22-year-old from The Hague, and a 20-year old from Wassenaar, a suburb of the city. It is understood that the three Irishmen who were shot, their bodies mutilated and then set alight, knew their killers. [continues 422 words]
Alcohol abuse should be included in the National Drugs Strategy remit, according to a review submission from the inter-agency drug group in the North Western Health Board region. With only an estimated five people receiving methadone treatment from GPs in the north-west, the inter-agency group stressed that legal substances such as inhalants, prescribed drugs and alcohol should be seriously addressed. The group, which includes health board workers, gardai, customs officials, probation officers, teachers, parents, vintners and youth groups, also pointed to young people's anecdotal evidence that cannabis, ecstasy and small amounts of cocaine are available in the region. [continues 222 words]
The Department of Education represents the weakest link in the multi-agency National Drugs Strategy chain and fails to participate in local drugs task forces, the Labour Party has claimed. In its submission to the Government's review of the National Drugs Strategy, the party declared its support for the strategy but stressed there were "major gaps" in the prevention, treatment and control of drug abuse. Ms Roisin Shortall TD, the Labour Party spokeswoman on education, described the Department as the "least effective actor" in the model. [continues 206 words]
Gardai expect there may be further violence arising from the weekend murder in Amsterdam of Derek Dunne, one of the Republic's leading heroin traffickers and son-in-law of the leading criminal, George "the Penguin" Mitchell. Mitchell's whereabouts were unknown yesterday but he is believed to have been in Amsterdam when Dunne, who was married to his daughter Rachel, was shot dead in an armed confrontation at his home in a quiet suburb in the west of the city. [continues 366 words]
A man has been charged with murder, arson and robbery in connection with the deaths of three Irishmen in the Netherlands almost two weeks ago. The man was arrested in Wassenaar, a small town near The Hague, on Wednesday evening. A further arrest could be made today by a team of 20 Dutch officers investigating the killings. Ms Kitty Nooy, a spokeswoman for the Dutch public prosecutor's office, said yesterday that another arrest could be made "rather soon" and the investigation team was "optimistic and confident" the case would be solved. [continues 140 words]
Garda Commissioner Mr Pat Byrne has expressed his "shock and disgust" at the murders of three Irishmen in the Netherlands. Dutch police yesterday formally identified the men, who were victims of drugs criminals. The families of the victims had waited 11 days for official confirmation. The dead men were named as Mr Damien Monahan (24), from Ennis, Co Clare, and brothers Vincent (29) and Morgan Costello (21), from Bansha, Co Tipperary. Speaking at the Garda Representative Association conference in Westport, Co Mayo, Mr Byrne said organised crime was now well structured and he stressed the need to forge international links to combat the gangs. [continues 253 words]
