A major Garda operation in Galway yesterday resulted in the arrest of 11 people and the confiscation of €30,000 worth of drugs.
Some 70 gardaí were involved in pre-dawn raids across the city and in the south Co Galway town of Gort.
The raids were the culmination of five months of undercover work to break up one of the biggest drug distribution networks in the west.
Codenamed Operation Scarf, it was a joint operation between members of the local drugs unit, the national drugs unit and the Criminal Assets Bureau.
From 5am yesterday, gardaí raided 15 locations and arrested 10 men and a woman, aged between 25 and 51.
They were detained under the Drug Trafficking Act in stations in Galway city, Loughrea, Gort and Tuam.
It is understood that gardaí removed a child from one of the houses raided.
A spokesperson from the Health Service Executive confirmed that a young child was taken into care under Section 12 of the Childcare Act after being contacted by an officer. The child has since been placed in foster care.
Supt Tom Curley said undercover gardaí had made 40 controlled purchases of drugs worth €25,000 since the operation began in January.
In total, half of the drugs seized yesterday was heroin, a quarter was cocaine, and the remainder was ecstasy, cannabis and amphetamines.
All those arrested are believed to be Irish, and have been living in Galway for some time.
Supt Curley said while heroin use in Galway was not the significant problem it was in some towns such as Athlone, the amount being sold and used in the city had become a cause for concern.
Gardaí would not comment on whether the raids were connected to recent raids in Dublin.
On Monday of this week undercover gardaí moved in on an alleged drug-trafficking network in the Tallaght area of Dublin which resulted in the arrest of 18 people.