The Irish Republican Socialist Party in Belfast seized a large quantity of the lethal stimulant narcotic Mephedrone whose street name is often referred to as “Drone” or “Magic” and has reportedly effects similar to Amphetamine (speed) and Cocaine, were handed into the Belfast media group’s Andersonstown News offices for disposal and became the headline feature of the newspaper’s most recent weekly edition. In recent years Mephedrone and similar drugs, which at one time were classed as ‘legal highs’ became the subject of narcotics legislation banning them as a class B drug. The drug and it’s variants have had a devastating effect, especially on young people in the local community reportedly due to the highly depressing side-effects that have been linked to several suicides in West Belfast and beyond.
Belfast IRSP Comhairle Ceanntair secretary and spokesperson, speaking at the party’s national headquarters, Costello House, stated, “we believe the local drug dealer behind this importation of this particular batch of narcotics is from a prominent Republican family in the Moyard area who had travelled to Dundalk to buy the drugs and used the name of the INLA demanding 5 bags of the drug. Gerry unequivocally emphasised that the individual in question has never had any link to the INLA or the wider Republican Socialist Movement, in fact he has already been shot before by drugs gangs in Dublin”
Gerry continued, “the Republican Socialist Movement investigated these serious allegations when we first heard them and following enquiries 3 bags of the narcotics marked ‘Ireland’ were handed over to us by a third party. We believe the country of origin was China and that 2 bags may well have ended up in North Belfast. It is important that the public are aware of these lethal drugs and the danger, especially to children that they pose.”
A member of the support group, Martin, of Narcotics Anonymous, who offer recovery programmes to those who have had drugs problems and liaise closely with hospital and treatment centres across Ireland congratulated the IRSP on their removal of illegal and potentially toxic drugs from the community where only too often young people have taken their lives in the hyper-depressive ‘come down’ this particular type of stimulant has as a side effect.
The IRSP will continue to work within the community to educate young people to the dangers of Mephedrone, other similar narcotics and our activists will continue to seize such lethal narcotics when the opportunity to do so arises. Thanks are also due to the Belfast Media Group for highlighting the dangers of Mephedrone in our community on their Andersonstown News edition’s front page and accurately outlined the IRSP’s pro-community actions in this particular seizure.
Alex McGuigan, IRSP PRO
