Seizures fail to impact on availability of drugs

THE availability of illegal drugs is not being affected greatly despite seizures of massive quantities of drugs, according to government and garda sources.

Minister of State with responsibility for drugs, Noel Ahern, said that while the recent seizures and operations were to be applauded, he was concerned at the overall impact on supply.

"We can be very pleased and happy when we get one of them, but it's one out of how many? We don't seem to be making them (traffickers) much pain," Mr Ahern said.

"The price of some of these drugs seem to be getting more reasonable, rather than more expensive, plenty of it is still getting in," he said.

"All we can do is keep up the fight and hit them as hard and as often as possible."

One senior garda source said that no matter what volume of drugs was seized, there still seemed to be plenty available.

"If we make a massive seizure, you might think there would be a shortage and price would go up. But it doesn't," they said.

"There seems to be so many suppliers, using many different trafficking routes, that the supply is always there."

Custom officers have also noticed a massive increase in smuggling attempts in the past 18 months.

Seizures of herbal cannabis increased by over 10,000% last year, from 128kg in 2000 to 13,208kg in 2001.

This year, customs has noticed a massive rise in cocaine seizures, with 19kg confiscated so far, compared to 5kg for the whole of 2001.

Customs boss Brian Smyth has expressed concern at "persistent and continuous" cocaine smuggling.

"It seems to be the case that the organisers seem to be prepared to go continually at this," Mr Smyth said.

Detective Chief Superintendent Ted Murphy, of the Garda National Drugs Unit, said that while many drugs were coming in, it was difficult to estimate how much was getting through and what impact seizures made on the overall supply.

But Det Murphy said seizures had an impact on gangs, resulting in loss of money, arrest and prosecution of members, disruption, dismantling of trafficking routes, and targeting of assets by the Criminal Assets Bureau.

He said that increased coordination between garda units under the National Support Services had led to the seizure of 8kg of heroin and cocaine, and 10kg of an unidentified substance, in Maynooth, Co Kildare, on Thursday.

Paul Clarke, 43, from Milrace Manor, Maynooth, was charged yesterday in connection with the haul and was remanded in custody to appear before Cloverhill District Court next Tuesday.

National Support Services was set up by Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne under the direction of Assistant Commissioner Joe Egan.

It is made up of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the National Bureau of Fraud Investigation, the Criminal Assets Bureau, the Garda Technical Bureau, the Garda Air Support Unit, the Garda National Immigration Bureau and the GNDU.