Value of drugs seized last year rises to €115m, Garda report reveals
The total value of drugs confiscated in 2012 rose to €115m, compared to €65m in 2011 and €28m in 2010.
A large percentage of the rise is due to an increased valuation for cannabis herb and cannabis plant, due to higher prices in the drugs market.
The 2012 Garda annual report also revealed:
n€4.8m was given to the State last year from the sale of assets seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau, €1.9m was handed over in tax settlements, and almost €400,000 was recovered in fraudulent social welfare claims;
nSome 387 operations against organised crime groups were undertaken by the Organised Crime Unit, resulting in the seizure of €4.6m worth of drugs, €248,000 in cash, and 23 illegal firearms;
n71 significant hauls were made by the Garda National Drugs Unit, totalling almost €81m worth of drugs, resulting in the arrest of 128 drugs traffickers, and 91 charges;
nSome 169 bomb cases were dealt with by the ballistics section of the Garda Technical Bureau, compared with 129 cases last year;
n696 firearms cases were processed by ballistics in 2012, compared with 737 in 2010 and 948 in 2009.
Almost €71m worth of cannabis was seized, compared to €42m in 2011. This was mainly due to a doubling in the valuation of cannabis plants (from €400 per plant to €800 per plant) and the fact that twice as many plants were seized and tested by the Forensic Science Laboratory (26,500 in 2011 and 55,480 in 2012).
This had the effect of quadrupling the value of plants seized, from €10.6m in 2011 to €44.4m in 2012.
In relation to cannabis herb, the quantity seized fell (from 1.8 tonnes in 2011 to 994kg in 2012), but because the valuation rose, from €12,000 per kg to €20,000 per kg in 2012, the total value stood at €19.9m in 2012, compared with €21.9m in 2011.
In addition, hauls of cannabis resin fell from 1.6 tonnes in 2011 to 1.3 tonnes last year. The quantities of cocaine more than doubled meanwhile, from 204kg to 423kg, worth €14m and €30m respectively.
Heroin seizures nearly doubled, from 33kg (worth €4.9m) to 61kg (€9.2m).
In addition, hauls of MDMA, the main ecstasy chemical, jumped. Some 5.6kg of MDMA powder was seized last year, compared to just under 1kg in 2011. In addition, 165,000 tablets were seized, compared to 101,000 in 2011.
The report also shows that there continues to be a significant market in banned head shop drugs, with similar quantities of new synthetic stimulants and synthetic cannabis mixtures being intercepted as 2011.
- Criminal Assets Bureau took 15 new proceeds of crime cases in 2012.
- Some 32kg of synthetic cannabis were seized in 2012 (30kg in 2011).
- 98,000 tablets and 46kg of new synthetic stimulants were seized (90,000 tablets and 57kg in 2011).
- 71 street dealers arrested in eight undercover purchase operations.
- The assessment unit of the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation dealt with 510 new complaints.
- 3,539 people were arrested and 1,924 charged under Operation Fiacla, targeting travelling burglary and robbery gangs.
- 222,710 legal firearm certificates were issued.
- Ten sub-machine guns were seized (four in 2011 and seven in 2010).
- 169 gardaí were found in breach of discipline (including two dismissals and 19 suspensions).
- 51 people reported missing were still untraced in 2012 (32 high risk).
- 15.9kg and 216,400 anti-anxiety and depressant tablets were seized (29kg and 253,000 tablets in 2011).
