Noel Treacy (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

The Bill includes provisions on search warrant powers for the Garda and admissibility of statements by witnesses who subsequently refuse to testify or retract their original statements. Moreover, the Minister is finalising further legislative proposals to provide for criminal offences regarding participation in a criminal organisation and to strengthen existing provisions relating to the ten-year mandatory minimum sentence for drug trafficking.

In addition to the implementation of actions under the various pillars of the national drugs strategy and projects and initiatives undertaken by local drug task forces, earlier this year the Minister of State with responsibility for the national drugs strategy, Deputy Noel Ahern, approved funding of approximately €400,000 for a number of pilot cocaine projects.

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