Cllr Sharon Keogan (left) and speakers at the drugs awareness event in Kells

Keogan's shock at 'Colombia-style' killing of Drogheda teen

A LOCAL councillor last night described the murder of Drogheda teenager Keane Mulready-Woods as a "Colombia-style" killing that had shocked people to the core and alerted communities to the reality that drug gangs were not going to disband unless strong action was taken against them.

The event was one of a series of events being held in towns throughout Meath to raise people's awareness about the drug problem and to help communities cope with solutions. 

Independent Cllr Sharon Keogan was speaking at a community safety and drug awareness event at the Headfort Arms Hotel in Kells just days her own Duleek constituency office was firebombed.

Cllr Keogan said that the Offences against the State Act was available to the authorities but it would take strong political leadership to allow it to be used against the drug gangs.

The Meath East general election candidate's high profile campaign against drugs and the impact it has on families and communities could be connected to the shocking incident that saw her constituency office attacked and set on fire on Monday night. An object with an accelerant was thrown through her office door, setting the hallway ablaze. Thankfully, closed doors prevented the fire from spreading.

READ: Cllr's shock after constituency office is firebombed

At the meeting she said that young people and their families needed to be educated about drugs in the community so that they could be encouraged to go down more positive paths in life and that communities could not suffer losing more young people to addiction and suicide.

Representatives from a number of local organisations including Jigsaw, the Drug Task Force. The Family Support Development and Training Services, and the Gardai also spoke at the meeting. 

David, a recovering addict, said he had pumped drugs into his system for 23 years and all during that time prayed he could stop. Garda Paddy Skehan of the Divisional Drug Unit said that 90 per cent of all crime was intrinsically linked to drug abuse. He said that while Gardai had their own intelligence about drug use in various towns and villages it was vitally important that they were supported through the help of local communities.