Drugs worth €637,700 have been seized across Cork city and county in the last two months, providing a serious blow to criminal networks this Christmas.

Heroin, cocaine, cannabis and tablets worth €554,000 were seized in Cork city and county in November and drugs worth €83,700 have been seized so far this month.

Mick Comyns, Superintendent of serious crime in Cork, said: “The number of people who have died of drug overdoses this year was very high. Hopefully these drug seizures will help reduce that figure going forward.

"We have put more emphasis on combating the sale and supply of drugs in the last number of months and we will be doing that even more so coming up to Christmas and into the New Year."

Supt Comyns said the seizures of cannabis, heroin, cocaine and tablets reflect what people are taking on the streets and in their homes across the city and county.

But he warned that legal drugs — like alcohol — can be lethal too:

“My message to everyone is that alcohol is also a drug and is also dangerous if not taken responsibly. It's great to see people going out enjoying themselves but it's important that alcohol is only taken in moderation. I've seen over the years the effect of people overindulging in both alcohol and illegal drugs, and that can be fatal."

Almost 800 people died from drug use in 2017, new figures from the Health Research Board (HRB) revealed this week, with the equivalent of more than one person dying from an overdose every day that year.

But recent figures from Cork City's Joint Policing Committee show that there has been a 24% increase in drug crime detections between January and October this year compared to last year. There were 176 possession of drugs for sale or supply incidents recorded in the garda Cork City Division between Jan 1 and Dec 12. The figure for the same period in 2018 was 169.

Gardaí arrested a man in his 20s and seized approximately €45,600 of suspected drugs following a search at a house in Glounthaune, Co Cork on Dec 6, detecting €45,000 of suspected cannabis herb and €600 in assorted tablets.

On Dec 10, gardaí seized €17,200 of suspected cannabis and €17,300 cash as part on an Operation Thor Day of Action.

Gardaí discovered a grow house containing €12,400 worth of suspected cannabis herb and plants at a house in Durrus in which €6,800 of cannabis herb and €5,600 of cannabis plants were seized. In a second unrelated search, Gardaí seized €4,900 of suspected cannabis and €17,200 in cash at a house in the Ballylickey area of Bantry.

And the following day, on Dec 11, gardaí seized approximately €16,000 of suspected drugs and €3,300 in cash during a search in Kinsale, Co Cork.

No arrests were made but Gardaí are following a definite line of enquiry on all of these West Cork seizures.

November was also a bumper month for drug detections: A man in his 30s was arrested on Patrick's St, Cork City after €352,000 worth of heroin and cocaine were seized on Nov 11.

In Mallow, €195,000 of suspected cannabis was seized on Nov 4. Gardaí arrested and charged a man in 20s.

And on Nov 12, Gardaí arrested three men in their 20s and seized approximately €7,000 worth of suspected cannabis herb in Innishannon.