The value of illegal drugs seized in Co Galway increased by nearly 1,400 per cent last year, with cocaine now available “as quick as you’d get a pizza” according to one rural councillor.
Some €1.37 million worth of illegal drugs were seized in rural towns and villages in Co Galway in 2023, compared with just under €100,000 the previous year.
A drastic increase in the quantity of cocaine in circulation is understood to be driving the trend, with an estimated €750,000 worth of the drug seized in rural Galway alone last year, compared with €140,000 worth seized in Galway city and county combined in 2022.
The value of illegal drugs seized in rural Galway was more than twice what was seized in Galway city last year.
