James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Smith for raising the important issue of reducing access to illegal drugs.

My Department and the whole of government are acutely aware of the sustained and significant damage that drug dealing has on communities right across the country. I assure the Deputy that tackling drug dealing and associated criminal activity, including by organised crime gangs, is a top priority for An Garda Síochána and the wider Government. The additional resources allocated to An Garda Síochána in recent years enabled the Garda Commissioner to assign extra resources to the specialist units involved in tackling organised crime. These include the armed support units, the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Criminal Assets Bureau.

The Government’s strategic approach to the misuse of drugs is health led, under the National Drugs and Alcohol Strategy 2017 to 2025: Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery, with the intention being to reduce demand while balancing this with limiting access to illegal drugs to the greatest extent possible.

Sustained action by An Garda Síochána to tackle supply continued throughout the pandemic, resulting in increased convictions and ongoing seizures of drugs, as well as volumes of firearms, ammunition and cash that inevitably accompany this very serious organised criminal activity. The Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau is also having significant success in disrupting the supply of illicit drugs by organised crime groups. Its work is supported by divisional drugs units nationwide and by all gardaí working in local communities, while working closely with international law enforcement partners. Gardaí continue to work closely with local authorities, the HSE, NGOs, community groups and other State agencies to tackle the problems of drug addiction and abuse.

In 2021, the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau seized around €64 million worth of illicit drugs and around €6 million in cash. More recently, in a Revenue joint operation in Balbriggan this month, the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau seized €226,000 worth of cannabis. More broadly, the Garda Operation Tara has a strong focus on tackling street-level dealing throughout rural and urban Ireland.

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