Labour: Defences overhaul needed

A TOTAL overhaul of Ireland’s coastal defences is needed to fight off the threat from drug barons who see the country as a “soft touch” staging post for Britain, Labour last night warned.

Pat Rabbitte insisted the Government had not put enough effort into combating smugglers and said the UN believed just a tenth of the illegal narcotics arriving in the Republic are detected.

He accused Taoiseach Bertie Ahern of leaving the nation’s coastline to be patrolled by a single customs boat despite the UN viewing Ireland as being in the grip of a cocaine explosion.