Data collection in drugs war criticised

A LACK of detailed and shared information between customs and other State agencies could be hindering the war against the country’s €650 million a year drugs trade, publicly funded research has found.

While seizures of illegal drugs have increased dramatically in recent years, including massive rises in the amount of cocaine being captured, the Health Research Board (HRB) found fault with data collection in the criminal justice system.

In his report, HRB researcher Johnny Connolly found this data is collated mainly for internal operational purposes and to facilitate criminal prosecutions.

“This can lead to gaps in information and a lack of consistency in processes throughout the system.”

His report examined drug seizures, price and purity, production, trafficking, supply routes and trends based on information from the Garda Síochána, customs authorities, the Forensic Science Laboratory and drug users themselves.

Mr Connolly said information compiled each year from all these sources would help improve the understanding of how the drug market works and its economic dynamics, such as market differentiation, profit margins and economic vulnerabilities.

His €650 million estimation of the value of the illicit drugs market represents 10 times the worth of seizures every year. These are based on 2003 figures, which place trade in cannabis resin as the most lucrative, with an estimated value of €374m followed by ecstasy at €129m.

However, the biggest area of growth has been in the market for cocaine which Mr Connolly estimates is now worth more than €75m a year. Seizures of the drug increased around five-fold between 2000 and 2003, and 12 times when the previous five-year period is taken into account.

The number of heroin seizures dropped from 802 in 2001 to 660 in 2003, the latest year for which figures are available.

Ecstasy is the second most commonly seized drug in Ireland.

The total number of drug seizures in the annual reports of the gardaí decreased by 17.2% between 2000 and 2003 - with 6,377 in 2003.

A kilogramme of cannabis costing around €3,250 at wholesale level, when sold for €30 per quarter ounce on the streets, would return a profit of around €982.

The Garda National Drug Unit (GNDU) estimated the price of an ecstasy tablet at street level dropped from €22 in 1995 to between €10 and €15 in 2003. Heroin is believed to sell at between €180 and €200 per gramme on the streets.

In 2004, the price of cocaine fell from €100 to €70 per gramme. It is estimated opiate users spend €14.6m a year on the illicit heroin market. But Mr Connolly said this was likely to be a significant underestimate of the value of the illicit retail opiate market.

He suggests that a combined approach to data collection by all the agencies involved is required to improve research which can provide evidence to disrupt drug markets and reduce their scale. This is the focus of the research pillar of the National Drugs Strategy, aimed at addressing the harm to individuals and society from illegal drug use.

High Cost

Cannabis resin: €374m

Ecstasy: €129m

Cocaine: €75m

Heroin: €54m

Amphetamines: €10m

Cannabis herb: €4m

LSD: €3,300.