Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 121: To ask the Minister for Finance if he has been informed by customs and excise authorities as to the number of raids by their officers on properties suspected of being involved in the sale and supply of substances covered under the Criminal Justice (Psychoactive Substances) Act 2010; the amount and type of substances confiscated in those raids; and the number of seizures in ports and airports, or on persons arriving here. [34286/11]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that no searches of premises under search warrant have been carried out by Revenue's Customs service under the Criminal Justice (Psychoactive Substances) Act 2010. The enforcement of controls in respect of products being sold at retail level, including by so-called "Head Shops" is carried out by An Garda Síochána. I am also advised that since the introduction of the Act, forty-four seizures of psychoactive substances, amounting to a total of 31.139 kilos, were made by Revenue's Customs service at ports, airports, postal depots or on persons arriving into the state. These consisted mainly of smoking (spice) mixtures and cocaine- or ecstasy-type substitutes. A further forty-six detentions of suspected psychoactive substances have been made, amounting to 4.76 kilos and these are currently being analysed. The Customs service operates predominantly at points of import and export and staff are most likely to encounter psychoactive substances in the course of their controls in these operational areas, where the use of a search warrant is not required.