PSNI Seize Almost £800,000 Worth Of Drugs In Four Weeks

The PSNI have seized almost £800,000 worth of drugs during an operation being carried out over the last four weeks in Northern Ireland.

The figure was released following the sudden deaths of four people in Belfast on Monday, 03 April.

Police believe drugs may have played a factor in at least two of the deaths, however there is no one drug suspected to be common to these victims.

Post mortem examinations are due to take place to determine the causes of each death.

These include a man, 26, in the Riverdale Park North area of West Belfast, a 25-year-old man in the Hannahstown area of west Belfast, a 16-year-old girl in the Great Victoria Street area of Belfast and a 28-year-old man in the Utility Street area of south Belfast.

Detective Chief Superintendent Tim Mairs, Head of Reactive and Organised Crime Branch, said: "Investigations are at an early stage but I would like to take this opportunity to re-inforce the dangers posed by taking any illegal drug or any medication which is not prescribed for you. Misuse of drugs can affect anyone and we recognise that many vulnerable people are being exploited for the financial gain of those higher up the supply chain.

"The number of deaths in Northern Ireland connected to drug use is on the increase and this is a concern. Sadly, these are all preventable.

"In fact, more people are dying from misuse of opioid drugs in Northern Ireland than in road fatalities, which is a very stark reality.

"Behind each of these statistics is a person and also a family who are living daily with this loss. The dangers involved in drug taking are clear to see. They have devastating effects not only on the individuals, but also to their families and communities who have to deal with the negative behaviours drug taking induces such as violence, antisocial behaviour, effects on mental health and also the ultimate price which is losing a loved one.

"This is why tackling drugs remains a priority for police. Officers do this across our communities on a daily basis. We also run Operation Torus across Northern Ireland, a campaign to specifically target street level drug dealing, twice a year. Our 1st Op Torus campaign for 2017 has just ended – it ran from February 27 to March 26. Police seized more than £793,000 worth of drugs, conducted 389 searches resulting in 92 arrests and have also charged or reported 74 people to the Public Prosecution Service.

"The seizure of £793,000 worth of drugs over the past four weeks is ongoing proof that our commitment to acting upon information provided by communities has paid off. We could not carry out the job we do without the help of communities. We continue to encourage anyone with information regarding drugs to come forward and help us reduce the threat of dangerous and illegal drugs on the streets."

(CD/LM)