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.