Children find deadly drugs haul in street - CFAD

CFAD Member, Sammy Cusick

A DEADLY haul of drugs, including the powerful horse tranquilliser ket-amine, has been discovered by children after being abandoned in a north Belfast street. The mix, which included Class A drugs, was found by children playing in a built-up residential area in the Oldpark area of North Belfast this week. A local Parent then contacted CFAD who subsequently passed the haul to the Sacred Heart Parish Priest, Ciaran Dallat for safe disposal.........

Irish News - Allison Morris - 5/9/09

CFAD again demand that Drug Dealers come forward and make themselves accountable to the local community and immediately desist from their immoral trade........

Political Arrest Due to CFAD Membership

An Ardoyne man arrested last week in connection with an alleged gun attack on the RUC/PSNI during the 13th July riot and later released 'unconditionally'. Has said his arrest was politically motivated because of his involvement with anti-drugs group, CFAD.

Aidan Ferguson was at home last Wednesday morning with his Wife and children, when the RUC/PSNI smashed his front door down and brutally arrested him.

The 28 year-old was dragged from the family home and into a waiting armoured jeep in the full glare of television cameras which was later broadcast on the BBC and Internet. He was then taken to Antrim PSNI Barracks and held for around 24 hours before being freed.

Mr. Ferguson is a prominent member of Concerned Families Against Drugs (CFAD), the Ardoyne drugs pressure group which has held numerous protests outside the homes and businesses of drug dealers and raided their homes and confiscated substantial amounts of illegal narcotics.

'I have had a number of death threats, most recently after my arrest because of my involvement with CFAD. I have also been warned by leading members of Sinn Fein and others linked to the Party in North Belfast that I was going to be charged with something and end up in prison'.

'Afterwards, I contacted my Solicitor and informed him of the smears and vilification against me and that I would be blamed on something, I didn't do. I was set-up and identified by the same people, some of who sat and watched my unjustified arrest. I don't agree with the PSNI or Sinn Fein's strategy and that's why I was targeted for arrest'.

The Ardoyne father also accused the RUC/PSNI of heavy-handedness during the arrest and of tipping off the media about the raid on his home. (See Video on this Blog) 'They were completely over the top and a pile of them dragged me out of the house in front of my partner, eight year-old son and new-born baby. There were TV camera's there, ready and waiting and I was used as a political scapegoat for the rioting. The cops needed to be seen to do something and picked me'.

CFAD condemn the continued politically motivated smears and rumours against our members by North Belfast Sinn Fein and Community Inactivists who choose to to turn the other way and ignore the huge problems caused by drugs and associated crimes. That have led to the recent targeting and brutal arrest of one of our activists.

Nonetheless, we will continue to identify, expose and confront the scourge of drugs in Ardoyne and beyond. Our anti-drug campaign will continue unabated.

CFAD DRUGS BUST in ARDOYNE

Earlier this evening, CFAD Activists raided a drug factory in the Ardoyne area of North Belfast. They seized a substantial amount of illegal drugs, plants and other equipment which was later handed over to a local Passionate Priest for disposal.

Concerned Families Against Drugs remain committed to ridding our community from the evil of drugs and this seizure is one in a long line of anti-drug initatives that our activists have been involved! Others such as education, naming and shaming of dealers and the picketing of homes of barons remain part of our long-term startegy.

Drug Awareness Nite

Ardoyne Community Centre

Tuesday 2nd June 2009

7pm - 9pm

Find Out the Facts about Drugs.

Get Expert Help and Advice

Parents & Young People Welcome

Organised by CFAD in Association with

New Life Counselling.

Dunlewey Advice Centre.

Falls Community Council.

PIPS, FASA and CHILL

CFAD reply to Sean Cassidy letter

CFAD would like to clarify a number of points in relation to the letter from Sean Cassidy in last week’s NBN.

CFAD did not attempt to persuade anyone to kill Sean Cassidy; CFad did not plant a pipe bomb at his home; CFAD did not fire on his home in 2008; Cfad did not paint any graffiti on walls about him; CFAD did not phone him to extort money.

CFAD states categorically that if Sean believes we did any of the above, he should phone the PSNI and name the CFAD individuals he believes to be involved.

However CFAD did meet Sean in a car on the Westland Road. We also asked Sean to come forward in the sanctuary of the chapel to reveal anything he knew about the importation and distribution of drugs.

CFAD knows that criminal elements did attempt to extract money from Sean and that this occurred both by phone and through face to face threats by known criminal elements in Ardoyne.

CFAD met with political representatives of groups allegedly connected to these individuals and informed the groups of the names of the people involved in extortion.

CFAD states clearly that it has no influence over people or groups who seek to exploit our efforts to tackle the drugs scourge.

As for Sean, he admitted that he personally snorted £100,000 of cocaine. Sean needs to explain how he funded this drug habit. He also needs to tell his family and friends the whole truth and stop them from making fools of themselves in the streets. Ridiculous counter claims against CFAD members’ families are just feeble attempts to deflect the truth.

However CFAD must also say that Sean and many of its members have known each other a long time and were considered friends by both parties. So this is not a vendetta nor a purge against Sean’s family but rather an attempt to tackle an insidious evil which poses a grave threat to our community.

In conclusion let us remind ourselves of Sean’s words last week: ‘no-one more than myself knows the dangers, pain and loss that comes with hard drugs.’

Herein lies the crux of the matter, Sean knows the pain and suffering that drugs cause.
The people dealing in drugs know the destruction caused, turning children into criminals, thugs and thieves dependant on drugs; families turning against each other, mother against son, family against family; loss, pain, suffering and sometimes death. This is reality.

This is Sean’s contradiction, he says he understands, but he won’t come forward and help to end it. If he wants to set the record straight Sean knows what he has to do.

CFAD

Cassidy Letter to the North Belfast News

Following a series of malicious incidents against myself and my family, I feel I have to respond to the North Belfast public.The first incident occurred two years ago whilst I was away getting married when my name appeared on walls throughout the area stating that I was a drug dealer. I and my family ignored this and put it down to sheer jealousy.

Shortly afterwards my wife’s car was destroyed with acid, again we chose to ignore it.In January 2008 my home was targeted by drunken gunmen using automatic weapons. This was a step too far. I confronted the people I knew to be guilty of this cowardly act.

Admissions were given to me by the people involved, they also informed me that they were persuaded to kill me by the same people who are continuing this vendetta against me.

Following that incident there were leaflets distributed around mine and my mother’s neighbours. I responded to this deed by doing a leaflet drop of my own, only this leaflet contained the absolute truth. My wife at that stage was six months pregnant, expecting our first son. Tragically our son was stillborn.

One week later as we stood at our son’s graveside trying to come to terms with our loss, I received a phone call from people claiming to be from an anti-drugs group demanding £40,000. In return for this money, they could guarantee that this campaign against me would stop. I did not have £40,000 to give them and informed them so.

On at least a dozen occasions I have spoken to members of CFAD, continually guaranteeing that my involvement with drugs had ceased long before this self appointed group came into existence.I would also like to take this opportunity to guarantee your readers that I am not a drug dealer nor am I laundering drug money, as was stated in their last piece of literature about me.

Before Christmas the PSNI informed me that I was under threat and my life could be in danger. This reinforced my desire to met with CFAD and put the record straightOnce and for all, and as Father Gary Donegan will confirm, there was a meeting arranged for two o’clock on a December afternoon in the monastry. Ten minutes prior to the meeting taking place Fr Gary phoned me and told me that CFAD had cancelled the meeting. This left me without the chance to challenge their allegations.

Also there was a pipe-bomb left outside my home in my work van. My street had to be evacuated, elderly and young included.Then on Saturday past, a number of men went to a car wash that I previously owned, distributing leaflets again accusing me of being a drug baron and laundering money through this car wash. However to their disappointment and my amusement a member of staff informed these people that the car wash was closed due to the fact that the rent could not be afforded by the previous owner.

These men then knee jerked and had an ad hoc protest outside our family owned shop. My family confronted the people involved in this protest yet again, all to no avail.I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge my past, which is no worse than a lot of young people who grew up in socially disadvantaged areas such as Ardoyne.But it is just that, THE PAST.However given this ongoing campaign of deceit, lies and torture against me and my family, I have come to the decision to leave my family home as my wife is expecting another child and as is at the same stage of pregnancy now as she was when we lost our child last year. I am not leaving through fear of these people or their lies, I just cannot place my family in such a dangerous environment.

Finally I would like to add that no one more than myself knows the dangers pain and loss that comes with hard drugs as I was addicted to cocaine myself for several years.

Sean Cassidy, Ardoyne

13 Year Old Cocaine Users In Ardoyne

A North Belfast community worker who ‘thought he had seen it all’ has spoken of his horror at finding a local child snorting cocaine.

Fernando Murphy, a youth worker saw the 13 year-old taking the Class A drug on an Ardoyne street a fortnight ago. Shortly after his shocking discovery, he found another 13 year-old smoking a bong in the same area.

Fernando who has worked with young people for over 16 years said he, ‘never thought anything could get to me the way this has’ before an emotional plea to parents and drug dealers on the issue.‘I want to make a plea to the drug dealers to stop selling drugs to kids, because they are ruining lives for the sake of a few pounds’.

Parents also need to know what is going on in Ardoyne. Some of them seem to think letting their kids drink in the street is okay because they know where they are. But standing about drinking only leads to trying to take drugs and eventually anti-social behaviour’.

Fernando, who was with a trainee youth worker when he witnessed the drug taking, said the student was so shocked by these incidents, she considered giving up youth work altogether, a reaction he said he understood.

Fernando said drug dealers in the area were deliberately targeting young people. ‘Drugs are commonplace in many social circles but this age group is far too young to be dealing with these effects. My own son is nearly 11 – I can’t help thinking if this sort of situation is going to affect him?’

Justine Brown, Health Officer with the North Belfast Partnership supported Fernando’s plea. ‘It has been quite well documented there has been an increase locally in younger folk drinking. Then this leads to more risk-taking behaviour ie: drug taking and sexual activity. It is certainly a growing issue in disadvantaged and deprived communities and is a lot to do with boredom’.