Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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The Government is fully aware of and views with concern the increased prevalence of cocaine usage in recent times in Ireland as is identified in the recent joint report by the National Advisory Committee on Drugs and the National Drugs Strategy Team.

Efforts to tackle the problem are broadly based under the Government's National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008 and include measures aimed at both supply and demand reduction, including awareness initiatives.

This Department's remit under the Strategy, although not exclusively, is primarily in relation to drug supply reduction.

This increasing use of cocaine is, of course, a matter of concern and the Garda authorities have taken a number of measures to address the problem on the supply reduction side.

The Garda National Drugs Unit and local drugs units conduct intelligence-driven operations to target individuals suspected of involvement in the distribution of cocaine.

Drug units and community policing personnel are engaged in intelligence gathering on individuals and groups suspected of involvement in the sale and distribution of the drug. There is also targeted patrolling by uniform and plain-clothes personnel of problem areas in order to detect and disrupt persons involved in such activity.

Garda 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.

These strategies include:

gathering intelligence on individuals and organisations involved in the distribution of drugs (including the support structures underpinning this activity);

conducting targeted operations on criminal networks based on intelligence gathered;

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.

National units, such as the Garda National Drugs Unit, the Criminal Assets Bureau and the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation all have specific roles in reducing drug supply and seizing the ill-gotten gains of drug traffickers. All of these units operate under the direction of the Assistant Commissioner, National Support Services.

These strategies continue to result in operational successes as evidenced by the ongoing high levels of drugs being seized by the Gardai. The trafficking and distribution of all illicit drugs, including cocaine, at local, national and international levels is constantly monitored by the Gardaí.