Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 119: To ask the Minister for Finance the number and value of drug seizures made by customs officers at Dublin, Shannon and Cork Airports in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8400/06]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the number and value of drug seizures made by customs officers at Dublin, Shannon and Cork Airports in each of the past five years is as follows:

In total, Customs have made 3,428 drug seizures with an approximate street value of just over €23.1 million at these three airports in the past five years.

I am further informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the most significant trend in recent years has been the steady increase in the number and volume of cocaine supply detection seizures, made mainly at Dublin Airport but also more recently, in 2005, at Cork Airport. The volume of cocaine seized at airports has increased from over 19 kg in 2002 to over 60 kg in 2005. The value of drug seizures has been increasing year on year, except for 2004, when the number of seizures increased and the value decreased marginally.

The large increase in the number of seizures in 2004 and 2005 can be attributed in the main to the opening of the airport mail unit at Dublin Airport. The controls performed by this unit were previously carried out elsewhere. Drug seizures by this unit generally consist of high numbers of small user quantities concealed in letter post. The year 2003 also saw the greatest volume of khat seized in recent years, with just three seizures amounting to 1.05 tonnes of the product with a value of €2,040,000.

Revenue's Customs service is continuously engaged in the analysis and evaluation of seizure trends, routes and smuggling risks and consequential resource deployment. In the past five years, for example, the Revenue has relaunched its drugs watch programme and increased its use of drug detector dog teams.