Heroin had re-emerged as a problem in flats complexes and areas of Dublin's north-inner city in recent weeks, Tony Gregory (Ind, Dublin Central) said during the resumed debate on the Criminal Justice Bill.
"These areas were devastated by heroin in the 1980s and '90s, and we all hope we will not have a repetition of that in the area in the next year or two," he added.
Even more alarming, said Mr Gregory, were at least five or six seizures of crack cocaine concentrated in the north-city area of his constituency. "That is largely within a section of the Nigerian community, but we all agree that crack cocaine is something we can do without," he said. "I have been critical of the Garda drugs strategy in the past, but in this instance the Garda drugs unit in Store Street has been very active and successful."
There was a need for absolute transparency when a prisoner sustained fatal or serious injuries in a Garda cell, Mr Gregory continued.
He referred to the case of Terence Wheelock, who had died tragically following his detention in a Garda cell, adding that he did not wish to rush to judgment on the issue.
"That Mr Wheelock sustained serious injuries in a Garda cell is not disputed, the manner in which he sustained them is. Why were detailed medical findings not released to the family and its legal representatives? This was the entitlement of the family and it would help to clear the air. Instead, questions about this case are mounting."
