Mr. Gerry Harrahill:

I will draw attention to these interesting figures. Not just in Ireland, but internationally, there has been a noticeable increase in seizures. This is a reflection in some respects of the volume of illicit traffic. It is also an indication of the successful work that is being done by law enforcement agencies nationally and internationally. A third significant aspect is the investment that has been made by all agencies nationally and internationally in technology and equipment, including scanners and other detection equipment. The increase in seizures is down to a combination of all of these factors.

It is useful to draw attention to another matter. One of the large seizures this year that the Deputy will be aware of involved the seizure of cocaine that had been ingested in coke. It shows the ingenuity and purposefulness of the organised crime gangs. It is important to remember that these are multimillion or, in some instances, multibillion euro industries. They have incredible resources available to them and are deploying them. The challenge for State agencies, including the tax and customs administration, is to try to stay on top of the situation and make all of the investments that are necessary.