State ‘taking foot off pedal’ in war against heroin

THE State was yesterday accused of taking its “foot off the pedal” in the fight against heroin, as Customs officers seized their biggest ever haul of the lethal drug.

The comments were made by a leading drugs agency as Customs seized €2.4 million worth of heroin when sniffer dogs helped uncover 12kg of the drug at Dublin Port. Senior Garda sources yesterday said there was “huge availability” of heroin across the country.

Provisional figures given to the Irish Examiner indicate that almost 70kg of heroin have been seized so far this year. This is continuing last year’s record tally, when 128kg of heroin were seized. The average annual haul of heroin for the previous five years was 24kg.

“Our concern is that the foot has come off the pedal in relation to the heroin situation,” said Tony Geoghegan of Merchants Quay Ireland, the largest voluntary drug treatment centre in the country. He said their annual review for 2006, published today, showed that more than 1,700 people who were injecting drugs, predominantly heroin, presented themselves to Merchants Quay for the first time last year.

“It is discouraging to have to once again point to large numbers of new clients attending our services. While there has been much media focus on cocaine use in recent times, heroin remains a major issue in many parts of Dublin and increasingly, across the country.”

Merchants Quay, and gardaí, say there is a heroin problem in Limerick, Galway, Athlone, Portlaoise, Mullingar, Carlow, Arklow as well as places like Tullamore, Roscrea and Birr.

Mr Geoghegan said heroin was also a reality in Cork city, but claimed there was “denial at institutional level” within the old Southern Health Board.

Gardaí confirm that heroin supply has risen dramatically in the last two years.

This week, a UN report said the trend had worsened this year, with expected opium harvests to reach 8,200 tonnes, compared with 6,100 tonnes in 2006.

The latest haul of heroin was concealed inside two wood burning ranges that had arrived in Dublin Port from Rotterdam. The drugs were uncovered yesterday thanks to a Customs sniffer dog called Lulu.

“She gave an indication that led officers to believe that there was a concealment containing drugs in each cooker,” said a spokesman. “Customs officers uncovered 10 blocks of heroin and two blocks of cocaine in total.”

The 2.5kg of cocaine is valued at €175,000.

The Garda National Drugs Unit is assisting Customs to establish what gang was behind the haul.