Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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361. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of drugs seizures and value of drugs seized by An Garda Síochána in County Tipperary by month to date. [8869/20]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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A core focus of the work carried out by An Garda Síochána is aimed at tackling drug distribution and organised crime. The continued disruption of the supply of all illicit drugs remains a priority for An Garda Síochána and the other state agencies tasked with responsibilities in this regard.

Since its establishment in 2015, the National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, which manages national and international drug trafficking and organised crime investigations, has continued to make significant seizures of controlled drugs and make related arrests. Divisional Drug Units also continue to have a significant impact.

It is important to say that the Commissioner is by law responsible for the administration and business of An Garda Síochána and for direction of operational matters.

The following table, furnished to me by the Garda authorities, sets out the number of drug seizures and their estimated value, in respect of Tipperary Division for the period January to May 2020.

As the Deputy will appreciate, An Garda Síochána continue to work to protect and support communities by preventing and detecting crime, while taking extensive action in support of public health restrictions in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. The latest report from An Garda Síochána indicates that incidents detected during policing operations to support public health guidelines since 8 April 2020 have resulted in pre-existing enforcement powers being used by Gardaí in over 1,800 incidents nationwide. During this period An Garda Síochána have made significant seizures of drugs and firearms, arrests for thefts of vehicles and burglaries, and enforcement of road traffic offences including drink and drug driving.