Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 108: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the quantity and values of seizures of heroin, cocaine, cannabis and other drugs here during 2007, 2008 and to date in 2009; the proportion of the overall flow of drugs being imported that are believed to be represented by these seizures; the new initiatives he is planning to control this flow of illegal drugs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40151/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I am setting out below a tabular statement giving the latest available information in relation to drug seizures for 2007, 2008 and this year to date (up to and including 11 September 2009).

As I have said before when replying to similar questions on this subject in the House, because of the covert nature of the activity, it is simply not possible to give a reliable estimate of the proportion of drugs coming into the country that these figures represent.

Through ongoing specific initiatives and intelligence-led operations, An Garda Síochána continues to seize substantial quantities of illegal drugs and identify those involved in the importation, distribution, sale and supply of illegal drugs.

In addition to the officers of the Force specifically assigned to the drugs issue who are attached to the Garda National Drugs Unit and the Divisional Drug Units, officers from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Organised Crime Unit and the Criminal Assets Bureau all assist in our overall law enforcement response to drug trafficking and drug dealing. In addition, the Gardaí work closely with Customs and the Naval Service under the umbrella of the Joint Task Force on Drugs as well as with their international colleagues in tackling the problem.

Recent and ongoing initiatives include

the operation of the Organised Crime Unit on a permanent capacity,

ongoing Irish involvement in the work of the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre in Lisbon,

strengthened provisions in the Criminal Justice Acts 2006 and 2007 and

the ringfencing of resources this year for Operation Anvil.

Furthermore, as the Deputy will know, I have in recent times introduced an extensive suite of criminal justice legislation targeted at those engaged in serious crime (including drug trafficking) including the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act, the Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Act and the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act. I am confident that this package of legislation will be of particular value in tackling drugs gangs.

Finally, as I have also said on many occasions before, it is clear that we cannot tackle the problem of drug misuse through law enforcement measures alone. As set out in the Government's recently launched new National Drugs Strategy for the period 2009 to 2016, we need to address the problem in a co-ordinated way across the pillars of supply reduction, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and research.

In this context, I can assure the House that my Department, and all the agencies under its aegis, remain fully committed to this approach and to the implementation of the Strategy.

The Garda authorities advise that the following tables show the quantities of drugs seized in 2007, 2008 and up to and including 11 September 2009, on the basis of cases already reported to the Forensic Science Laboratory.

2009: Drug Seizures (up to and including 11 September 2009)

* Statistics provided for 2009 are operational, provisional and liable to change.

2008: Drug seizures

2007: Drug seizures