Written answers
Thursday, 4 December 2025
Department of Justice and Equality
Departmental Communications
Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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102. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will detail the communications there has been between his Department, other Government Departments and relevant agencies on the issue of responding to drugs crime and the societal impact of drugs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67896/25]
Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is committed to a health-led approach to drug use, firmly believing that individuals experiencing problematic drug use should be met with compassion, dignity, and appropriate care. In line with Programme for Government commitments, the Department of Health is now preparing a successor National Drugs Strategy to cover the period 2026-2029.
This will be informed by an evaluation of the existing strategy and consultations with stakeholders, along with the recommendations of the Citizen’s Assembly on Drug Use.
My colleague the Minister of State for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Jennifer Murnane O’Connor established a Steering Group in September 2025, chaired by Dr. Sarah Morton, to provide oversight and guidance to the development of the successor National Drugs Strategy.
The group, which includes a representative from my Department, has been tasked with overseeing the drafting of a successor national drugs strategy, as well as a two-year action plan to support its delivery, for completion by December 2025. A reference group is supporting the Steering Group's work providing real-world knowledge and lived experience of drug use to inform the drafting of the new strategy.
As Minister for Justice I am fully committed to helping to significantly reduce the harms caused to families and communities by illicit drug use. The three main policy objectives my Department are seeking to achieve in this area are:
- tackling organised crime;
- minimising the harms caused to those with addiction issues; and
- diverting people from involvement in crime and illicit drug-related activity.
Operation Tara, aims to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute drug trafficking networks, at all levels – international, national and local – involved in the sale and supply of illegal drugs. Under Operation Tara, individuals and groups involved in the drug trade are the target of enforcement activity based on intelligence and the latest crime trends.
Two examples of Garda success in the past month alone include:
- Searches at a residential addresses in the Dublin and Wicklow areas on 13 November 2025 in which 98 kilos of cannabis and 2 kilos of cocaine – with a combined estimated street value of €2.1 million – were seized.
- As part of an intelligence led operation, Gardaí and Revenue Customs Service, seized 220 kgs of herbal cannabis with an estimated value of €4.4 million on Friday 14 November 2025.
In May, alongside my colleague Minister Murnane O’Connor, I launched the DRIVE (Drug related intimidation & violence engagement) project. DRIVE’s primary goal is to establish effective systems and structures for a unified, timely, and sensitive response to drug-related intimidation. It focuses on responding to incidents, supporting those affected, and preventing future occurrences.
DRIVE promotes interagency collaboration by bringing together law enforcement, health services, social services, and community organisations to tackle Drug Related Intimidation from multiple perspectives. It operates on a national scale across Ireland, ensuring consistent and comprehensive support in all regions.
There are over 400 publicly funded drug services, including family support services, across the country which can advise and support people affected by Drug Related Intimidation. Family support services are critical because drug-related violence nearly always becomes an issue for the whole family. More information can be found online on the Driveproject.ie website.
We also have a particular focus on targeting the work of organised crime groups, which inflict intimidation and violence on families and communities, while grooming and coercing vulnerable young people into drug-related criminal activity.
A number of key actions have been taken as part of our plan to tackle illegal drug use, including:
- Increasing the maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder from 10 years to life in prison to tackle those who direct gangland and drug related crime;
- New laws have been enacted which criminalise the grooming of children into a life of crime;
- Drafting new laws which will provide for the use of facial recognition technology in the investigation of certain drug offences;
- Rolling out a support programme to break the link between the gangs and the children they try to recruit.
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