Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Mr. Callinan is out the gap and out the other side. Congratulations to him. We are dealing with gangland crime. The Commissioner has given us an overview of 25 organised groups under his watch. Can we have an assessment of the mix of activities? There is an armed element to the importation of drugs and we are, unfortunately, familiar with the scourge of drugs. The other elements, highlighted by Retail Ireland, are the black market and the counterfeiting activities in which these organisations are involved. I refer in particular to the illegal tobacco trade, fuel laundering, counterfeiting of goods, digital piracy and counterfeiting of medicine. There is a huge cost to the economy, which can be estimated at between €500 million and €816 million per year. I refer also to the report on transnational crime presented to the US Congress. The Real IRA came in for specific mention with regard to the illegal tobacco trade: "The production, smuggling, and sale of tobacco products, including genuine and counterfeit cigarettes, is a lucrative form of financing for organized crime as well as terrorist groups, such as Hezbollah, Hamas, the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK), and the Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA)." The Commissioner alluded to the international dimension of this. Can the Commissioner give us an assessment of the mix or are all gangs involved in all aspects of the illegal trade, including drugs? I have a number of follow-on questions arising from that.