Forty animals neglected, drugs seized
Tallaght, IR (UK)Incident Date: Monday, Nov 17, 2008
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 1 files available
Abuser names unreleased
More than €170,000 worth of drugs were seized along with weighing scales and other drug paraphernalia when gardai responded to a tip-off that a number of animals were being housed in appalling conditions.
Gardai and officers from the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) were shocked to find nearly 40 neglected animals in a rat-infested premises at Mount Seskin Road, Tallaght.
The find was made yesterday afternoon when the DSPCA responded to the tip-off.
Inside the premises, gardai found large quantities of ecstasy, cocaine, cannabis resin, an air pistol and almost 40 neglected animals.
During follow-up searches of the surrounding buildings they were stunned to find 10,000 ecstasy tablets with a potential street value of €100,000. Also hidden in the house was half a kilogram of cocaine worth €35,000 and four-and-a-half kilograms of cannabis resin estimated to cost €30,000. An assortment of drugs paraphernalia including a pneumatic press, weighing scales and a generator were also seized.
A computer hard-drive, which investigators hope will shed some light on those involved in the cruelty ring, is being forensically examined. A gas-operated air pistol and several hundred steel ball bearings was also recovered.
Stunned gardai and animal rescue workers discovered 30 dogs, five rabbits, two cats and two pigs living in their own excrement and surrounded by rats, some of which were dead.
In what is one of the most outrageous cases of animal cruelty ever in the State, the animals were living together in outhouses with little or no ventilation.
Many of the dogs found were valuable breeds including English bull terriers and German shepherds. They can sell for several hundred euro each. An American bulldog and a doberman were also rescued.
They were taken to the DSPCA animal shelter in Rathfarnham. Spokesperson for the DSPCA, Orla Aungier told the Herald that the shelter was struggling to cope with the |massive influx.
"The animals were in absolutely appalling condition. Each needs to be individually processed and examined by a veterinary surgeon," she said, adding: "It takes a lot of time to process this number of animals."
She described the conditions as "completely unsuitable". "They were indoors with poor ventilation and filthy conditions. There were a large number of rats, dead and alive," she said.
The rescued animals were of varying ages and Ms Aungier says they now have to be kept in complete isolation because of the risk of disease.
She said the DSPCA hoped they could be rehabilitated and rehomed, but it was "too far down the line". Nobody has been arrested in relation to the find but investigations continue. References
|
