Sixteen due in court after major garda crackdown on drug dealing in Waterford

All are charged with offences contrary to Sections 3 and 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Act, 1977 and are due to appear before Waterford District Court at 10.30am.

Gardaí said that local uniform and plainclothes officers, and Regional resources, led by the Waterford Divisional Drugs Unit, searched 15 locations in Waterford City and county on December 6 and 7 under Operation Tara.

“The investigation was led by Gardaí attached to the Waterford Divisional Drugs Unit under Operation Tara alongside the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) under Operation Clean Streets,” a spokesperson revealed.

“This investigation is ongoing.”

Gardaí added that the aim of Operation Tara is to protect communities from illegal drugs in line with their mission of ‘Keeping People Safe’.

“The focus of Operation Tara is to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute drug trafficking networks, at all levels - international, national, local - involved in the importation, distribution, cultivation, production, local sale and supply of controlled drugs,” gardaí added.

Speaking at the launch of Operation Tara in July 2021, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said there would be particular focus on street level dealing.

“Not only is this dealing devastating for the individual buying the drugs and their loved ones, it is also corrosive for local communities to have to witness it,” he said.

“It is no longer the case that such dealing is confined to our cities and urban areas, it is now happening in towns and villages around the country. Operation Tara will tackle this scourge.”