A senior source said: “They are using the rail network to travel to train stations in west Dublin such as Clondalkin/Fonthill or the city centre from towns such as Portaloise, Portarlington, Newbridge and Kildare so that they can buy drugs and then travel back to their home towns.
“It is not a nice situation for example for an elderly person who is travelling for a hospital appointment to be faced with these type of individuals who are often off their head on drugs.
“Irish Rail have provided gardaí with a timetable of the problematic trains in terms of drugs and anti-social behaviour and these are most common in the morning time and it is these trains that gardaí have been focusing on,” the source explained.
Gardaí are reported to be increasing patrols on trains travelling through Offaly to Dublin due to a claimed increase in drug addicts travelling during th.
“It is not a nice situation for example for an elderly person who is travelling for a hospital appointment to be faced with these type of individuals who are often off their head on drugs.
“Irish Rail have provided gardaí with a timetable of the problematic trains in terms of drugs and anti-social behaviour and these are most common in the morning time and it is these trains that gardaí have been focusing on,” the source explained.
Under the current travel restrictions people are expected not to travel more than five kilometres from their home and last week at Kildare Town Garda Station two men received fixed penalty notices for not observing the travel restrictions.