Limerick Gardaí to put pressure on absent owners after student street party



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Gardaí in Limerick will put pressure on homeowners whose houses are used to sell drugs or organize parties.

It comes after gardaí broke up a large-scale gathering at College Court, Castletroy, on Tuesday, with numerous arrests and more than 50 tickets issued.

Chief Superintendent Gerard Roche, speaking at a City and County Limerick Joint Oversight Committee, said they were investigating landlords with the help of the Residential Leasing Board.

He stated that Gardaí will seek to pressure the owners “to regulate their own houses.”

“But it’s easier said than done. As you know, you can rent it to three or four people, and the next thing you know is that 10 or 20 people can be accommodated there, as is the nature of student houses,” he said. Chief Superintendent Roche.

On Tuesday, Gardaí made five arrests after the big party. Three men on Carysfort Avenue were arrested, two under public order legislation and one under drug abuse legislation.

Gardaí also seized € 17,500 worth of cocaine and € 800 in cash, following a vehicle search in the College Court Drive area, and arrested two men.

Over 350 fines have been issued on the ground for Covid-19 violations in the Castletroy area.  Gardaí at a checkpoint in College Court, Limerick.  Photo: Brendan Gleeson

Over 350 fines have been issued on the ground for Covid-19 violations in the Castletroy area. Gardaí at a checkpoint in College Court, Limerick. Photo: Brendan Gleeson

“We have had many other searches for drugs in the last 12 months. And numerous arrests in connection with the sale and supply of drugs, in particular cocaine, “said Chief Superintendent Roche. He added that some of the people they have caught for drugs have traveled from other counties.

On top of that, more than 350 on-site fines have been issued for Covid-19 violations in the Castletroy area, since the ability to implement fines was introduced. This includes 56 that aired on Tuesday.

The chief superintendent said officials from the University of Limerick had joined gardaí in patrols of areas near the university to overcome GDPR problems. He also asked the parents of the youths involved in Tuesday’s scenes to “take responsibility.”

Chief Superintendent Roche said:

Parents need to consider what their loved ones are doing. These are adults.

“These 400 or 500 (breaking the rules) are not harmless children, they are adults.”

A university spokesman said UL “deplores the behavior of a small minority of students.”

They confirmed that the university is working to identify the UL students who participated in the meeting and that any students caught will face suspension, pending a full investigation or possible expulsion.

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