Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

Deputy O'Donnell raised a number of issues earlier this week, some of which I had an opportunity to answer in the Seanad yesterday. The Criminal Justice Act 2006 specified new offences of membership of an organised criminal gang, carrying a penalty of five years, and committing an offence for a criminal gang, which carries a penalty of ten years. To answer Deputy Flanagan, who questioned whether proceedings had been brought, there have been a number of proceedings relating to conspiracy to commit a crime, Criminal Assets Bureau offences and criminal organisation offences or organised crime.

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