Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

The national drugs strategy addresses many of the problems of drug misuse across a number of pillars — supply reduction, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and research — and implementation of that strategy across a range of Departments and agencies is co-ordinated by the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, in particular by the Minister of State, Deputy Noel Ahern.

The Government is aware of the increased prevalence of cocaine usage in recent times and efforts to tackle it are broadly based to include measures aimed at both supply and demand reduction, including awareness initiatives. The national strategy specifies a number of supply reduction targets for the Garda Síochána in terms of all drug seizures and the Garda has achieved considerable successes in cocaine seizures in recent times.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that their strategies for dealing with drug offences are designed to undermine the activities of organised criminal networks involved in the trafficking and distribution of illicit drugs, including cocaine. All these strategies are based on a number of underlying principles, namely, focusing on all aspects of drug trafficking, including importation, transportation and distribution; gathering of intelligence on all individuals and organisations involved in the distribution of drugs, whether they live in Ireland or elsewhere; conducting targeted operations on criminal networks based on intelligence gathered; and working in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, both within and outside the jurisdiction, to address the national as well as international aspects of drug trafficking and distribution.

The Garda authorities further inform me that they have had a number of substantial recent successes, including against cocaine trafficking. As the Deputy will be aware, many of these have recently been publicised. The trafficking and distribution of all illicit drugs, including cocaine hydrochloric and freebase — crack — at local, national and international levels is constantly under Garda scrutiny.

The Criminal Justice Bill, which is before the House, provides a comprehensive package of anti-crime measures, including sentencing for drugs offences. It will also deal with search warrants and admissibility of statements which are retracted. There will also be further provisions to strengthen the existing ten-year minimum sentence to make it clear that people who act as drug mules should not be excused because they are simply minor cogs in a large machine. The Mr. Bigs rely on Mr. Littles, so to speak, to do the leg work for them and the deterrent aspect of that sentence must apply to everybody, big or little, who is involved in the distribution and importation of drugs into this country.

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