Heroin and coke dominate drugs market
Garda and customs statistics show seizures of heroin have soared in 2006 while continuing high levels of cocaine have been intercepted.
Hauls of amphetamine have doubled, but seizures of ecstasy and cannabis resin have both fallen by two-thirds.
“Heroin this year has taken off, and has taken people by surprise,” said Michael Colgan, director of Customs Drugs Law Enforcement. “We expect the cocaine trend to continue, we don’t want it to, but we expect it to. We see it as a continued threat area in the year ahead.”
A United Nations report last month said there had been a 59% rise in the cultivation of opium in Afghanistan this year. This is expected to result in the increased production of heroin, and of higher purity heroin, in 2007.
Despite initial suggestions that the death of six heroin addicts in the space of a week at the end of November was due to contaminated heroin, garda and health experts believe it might have been due to higher purity heroin.
The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) also reported in November that seizure data suggested hauls of cocaine were continuing to rise across Europe in 2005 and 2006.
The EU drugs body said that while Spain and Portugal accounted for half of all cocaine seizures, traffickers were diversifying routes through the Caribbean and Africa.
Gardaí and customs have also noted this trend. “The international trends for cocaine is from South America through Africa and up into Europe,” said a senior garda source.
“Cocaine is coming more frequently from South America into West Africa, Nigeria and Ghana,” said Mr Colgan. “Traditionally, in the past, we had not seen that, they are now significant staging posts in Europe.
“Increasingly, they are using other hub airports, such as London, Paris or Schiphol. This is a very significant routing not just for us, but other customs in Europe.”
He also pointed out that Spanish, Portuguese and British agencies were seizing massive consignments of cocaine, up to three tonnes, on the high seas.
Mr Colgan said most of the cocaine entering Ireland comes through the airports, particularly Dublin Airport, which had more than 20 million passengers this year.
“The increasing number of flights does make it more difficult for us, no doubt about that.”
He said the ingenious methods of smuggling have continued. In one case a woman hid cocaine in her hair extensions.
Mr Colgan said couriers were still using the very dangerous method of swallowing or stuffing cocaine internally, with 17 such incidents this year, carrying a total quantity of 14kg.
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