Kildare judge and Garda Sergeant surprised by drug’s official name

A Naas District Court judge and a Garda Sergeant were both surprised to hear the name of a suspected drug which was allegedly harboured by a Naas man.

Judge Desmond Zaidan and Sgt David Hanrahan both admitted that they had never heard of the drug before during a court session concerning one Eamonn Tyrrell, with an address given as 23 Patrician Avenue in Naas.

Gardaí claimed that on the morning of May 13 last, the home of the 22-year-old was searched on the foot of a search warrant.

In the home, gardaí found suspected cocaine with an estimated value of €350, along with a small amount of cash, deal bags, and eight tablets of a suspected drug called 2C-B.

When Judge Zaidan enquired to Sgt Hanrahan about the latter suspected drug, Sgt Hanrahan replied that it was suspected bromodimethoxyphenethylamine (specifically, 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine).

"They’re really getting complex with these long names, aren’t they?" the judge said.

He added: "What is the 'street' name? I’ve never heard of this suspected drug before," to which Sgt Hanrahan responded: "Neither have I, Judge."

The judge adjourned the case involving Mr Tyrrell to June 20 in order to allow time for directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions.

He remanded the accused on continuing bail until the case returns to court.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON 2C-B

According to drugs.ie (which in turn cites an article by The Irish Independent as its source), the suspected drug mentioned by the judge and gardaí in this case, 2C-B, is a synthetic designer drug which mimics other illicit drugs.

It comes in the form of white powder or tiny pills.

Users can suffer increased heart rate and higher blood pressure as a result of ingesting the drug.

Other names that 2C-B is known as include: '2CT-7', 'Bromo' and 'Nexus.'