A Dublin-based gang is understood to be flooding Newbridge with drugs and putting pressure on dealers that owe them money.
It's understood that a list of seven homes in Kildare to be targeted in arson attacks is currently in circulation among local gangsters.
Speaking to Kfm, Journalist Ken Foy said Gardai are trying to establish if a number of recent arson attacks in the county are linked.
According to Foy, two innocent families have been burnt out of their homes in Newbridge, while a vulnerable man has been left homeless after his apartment was badly damaged in an arson attack.
A Dublin-based gang is understood to be flooding Newbridge with drugs and putting pressure on dealers that owe them money, Foy said.
Cllr Chis Pender said there is "absolutely" an increase of drugs in Newbridge, with a more aggressive nature around the sale and supply of drugs, including crack cocaine.