Arrests likely in garda probe of Katy's death
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Gardai investigating the death of model Katy French are likely to make a number of arrests over the coming weeks.
Detectives are currently gathering intelligence on the supply of cocaine in the celebrity and social circles in which she moved.
And they have also made progress in establishing a list of friends and acquaintances who were in contact with her, either personally or by phone, in the hours and days prior to her admission to Our Lady's Hospital in Navan.
A review of the information gleaned from the investigation so far was carried out yesterday at a conference of the inquiry team at Navan garda station.
Officers said they were getting an excellent response to their appeal to the public for help and all of the information was being fully checked out.
They emphasised that a considerable number of witnesses had yet to be interviewed.
But they said they were already building up a file on the circumstances surrounding her illness and what took place in the previous few days.
After all of the available witnesses have been interviewed, officers will then decide on their next move.
But there were indications last night that the gardai may arrest a number of people as part of their inquiries before they complete their report.
One officer said last night: "Depending on the level of co-operation we receive in the coming days, we may opt to use our powers of arrest to find the answers to some vital questions."
Medical tests carried out on Ms French after she was admitted to hospital showed traces of cocaine in her body.
The outcome of toxicology tests, ordered by State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy are expected to determine the amount of cocaine in her system and how long it was there.
Senior officers insisted that any information about the identity of suppliers of cocaine, or other drugs, would be pursued at length, irrespective of their standing in local communities.
And they appealed again to anybody with knowledge of dealers to help save lives by sharing their information confidentially with the gardai.
Meanwhile, it emerged yesterday that the number of drug samples being sent for analysis to the forensic science laboratory has doubled in the past two years.
New figures showed that the samples had jumped from a total of 5,700 in 2005 to 10,600 so far this year.
Gardai said the increase highlighted the growth in the number of seizures as well as the level of usage of illegal drugs.
Supt Kevin Donohoe, the force's press officer, said garda operations were taking place throughout the country on a daily basis, targeting drug users and suppliers.
But he pointed out that these raids did not always result in sufficient evidence to press criminal charges. There is a big gap between "what you think you know and what you can prove in court", he said.
Statistics from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction showed that cocaine is now the second most frequently used drug in Europe, after cannabis.
- Tom Brady Security Editor
