Drug dealers are using ten-year-olds to sell drugs for them on the streets of Clonmel

Drug dealers in Clonmel are using boys as young as ten- years-old to carry out their trade on the streets.
A demand has been made for additional garda resources to take on the drug dealers in Clonmel and combat an increase in the levels of crack cocaine available.
The December meeting of the Tipperary Joint Policing Committee heard the disturbing description of how drug dealers in Clonmel were using young boys to do their work.
Cllr Pat English told the meeting about the practice and demanded Clonmel is given more resources to tackle the drug problem.
RESOURCES
“There is a policy in Clonmel of using young children to sell drugs on the streets knowing that if they are caught they will be left off because of their age. While the adults are sitting in cars they are getting children as young as ten to do their work,” Cllr English told the meeting.
He called on Superintendent Derek Smart to allocate more resources to Clonmel.
“The increase in use of crack cocaine in Clonmel is massive. We need additional resources in Clonmel to deal with that,” said Cllr English.
Cllr English told The Nationalist that he had witnessed the involvement of young children in the drug trade on the streets of Clonmel. “It is happening in broad daylight. Because they are under sixteen they will get a slap on the wrists if they are caught and the adults get away with it,” said Cllr English.
He paid tribute to the drug units in Clonmel for the work they were doing and for making significant seizures during the year.
“There are people making big money out of pushing drugs. We have to have more resources to take them on,” he said.
NEW OFFICERS
Superintendent Smart said that two new officers had been appointed to the drug unit in Clonmel.
He told the meeting that the unit was proactive and there had been an increase in the number of searches for drugs conducted in Clonmel.
Superintendent Smart told the meeting that eight new probationers would be going out to stations across the division in the New Year which would allow existing personnel to be reassigned to other duties.
SEARCHES
The JPC meeting was told that searches were up 11% in the division.
Possession for personal use was up 8% (505 to 547) and possession of drugs for sale and supply was down 16%.

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