TWENTY ARRESTED IN SWOOP ON POTENTIAL HEROIN TRADE KINGS

TWENTY suspected heroin dealers were arrested yesterday in an undercover
swoop on dealers who were trying to profit from the removal of jailed drug
kingpins such as Thomas "The Boxer" Mullen.

The arrests across Dublin came as Minister for Justice, John O'Donoghue,
revealed he is considering setting up special courts to deal exclusively
with drugs cases.

The Minister has asked Judge Susan Denham to head an examination of how
special drugs courts could operate in Dublin.

"They have been in operation in the United States and there is little doubt
that they can be very successful here," Minister O'Donoghue said.

While this court revamp was being considered, Gardai were arresting
suspected drug dealers on the strength of intelligence gathered in

Operation Cleanstreets, a six-week covert plan to incriminate serious drug
dealers, particularly those involved in heroin.

In Operation Cleanstreets, undercover detectives from the National Drugs
Unit last month joined detectives in Garda districts across the capital in
a co-ordinated effort to infiltrate drug-dealing operations. Up to 20
heroin dealers were due to come before a number of Dublin District Courts
yesterday after early-morning raids by detectives from the National Drugs
Unit.

Gardai targeted flat complexes and areas known to be ravished by heroin use.

Anyone who offered to sell serious drugs, particularly heroin, to the
detectives over the past six weeks was arrested.

This operation is the latest concerted effort by Gardai to counteract a
recognised heroin problem in Dublin.

"We recognise that there still exists a heroin problem in the whole of
Dublin and this was the latest co-ordinated operation to counteract that
problem," a Garda spokesman said.

Operation Cleanstreets follows earlier Garda operations such Operation
Boulevard, which concentrated on clearing drug dealers off the main streets
of Dublin, particularly O'Connell Street, which was a notorious drugs black
spot.

Sources said this was the latest initiative designed to root out drug
dealers who are keen to fill the void left by the jailing of some of the
larger players in the Dublin market.

"There was also Operation Dochas, which has been very successful," a Garda
source said.

"This is the latest operation to get information to target dealers in the city.

"It is part of a number of different strategies we are pursuing on a number
of fronts."

A Garda spokesman said the operation involved massive co-operation.

"This operation extended across Dublin from Dun Laoghaire to Ballymun," he
said. "Because of the work involved it had to be a covert operation.

"Undercover officers from the Garda National Drugs Unit worked with local
detective units and targeted areas where there were allegations of dealing,
specifically heroin.

"We hope to see the results in court now. The operation allowed us to
accumulate enough evidence to charge up to 20 people with dealing.

"Where there was suspicions that certain people were dealing, their
movements were tracked.

"It was a concerted effort by a sizeable number of officers."