Gardaí have seized LSD drugs from an address in south Dublin which are believed to be those consumed by a number of UCD students hospitalised earlier this week.
The Donnybrook district drug unit carried out a search of a house at Obelisk Walk, Blackrock where the drug, which is a paper-based combination of LSD and methamphetamine and bearing an illustration of the superhero Captain America, was located.
The substance is understood to be that consumed by students who were taken ill on Tuesday with symptoms including extreme and erratic behaviour.
While those students are now understood to have been discharged from care, the incident has led to warnings being issued by UCD and Trinity College Dublin.
In a statement issued this afternoon, the wider Union of Students in Ireland (USI) umbrella body said it was "alerting young people ahead of the end of exam parties and summer festivals of the risky business involved in taking novel and unknown drugs.
“In particular, people need to be aware and educated on novel drugs currently circulating which have recently seen some students become ill and hospitalised.”
Denise McCarthy, USI vice president for welfare said: “We share the same concerns as UCD Students’ Union for the safety and well-being of students. Our thoughts are with those who have been hospitalised and we hope they make a speedy recovery.
“We ask others who might have taken similar drugs to seek medical attention or to contact their local gardaí to report any suspicious incidents.”
While the initial concerns centred around UCD, the situation is not necessarily limited to that university or to students.
However, in order to reduce potential harm, Trinity College Students’ Union has also issued an appeal to its own members.
“Some UCD students have been hospitalised after consuming a bad cocktail of drugs believed to contain amphetamines and LSD,” it said.
“The gardaí have raised concerns that fatalities may occur if this batch is not taken out of circulation.”
No arrests were made in connection with the seizure of the LSD but the investigation is ongoing, gardaí said.
There were six incidents earlier in the week attributed to its consumption with people presenting with symptoms including extremely erratic behaviour.
One student was arrested for a public order offence in the Grafton Street area of the city on Tuesday with ambulance personnel called but unable to subdue him. Gardaí, concerned for his wellbeing, took him into custody and called for the assistance of a doctor.
