Irish heroin traffickers targeted in crackdown by Dutch police
Garda sources welcomed the crackdown, pointing out that the Netherlands was the “primary” distribution centre for heroin into Ireland.
Irish gang bosses in the Netherlands transport heroin here through Britain and France, mainly in lorries, but also in cars and containers.
A senior intelligence source in the Dutch National Crime Squad (NCS) said they intended to “destroy” gangs exporting heroin.
“The heroin programme is one of our priorities; to stop the export of heroin to the UK, and Ireland, and also Germany and France,” said the source.
“It’s not only a matter of seizing, it’s about arresting criminal organisations and destroying structures.”
At a briefing at the Hague, the headquarters of EU police agency Europol, the senior officer said Irish crime bosses were well connected with Dutch criminals.
“Dutch top criminals are very close to British and Irish top criminals; they get on very well.” He estimated there were more than 10 serious Irish criminals in the Netherlands.
He told the Irish Examiner it was likely Irish criminals would feature in their crackdown.
“We will find out in the coming years what type of criminal organisations are involved, but I should be surprised if there are no Irish names.”
He said the NCS had a very close relationship with the gardaí: “If there is reason to contact the Irish police on this, we will do so. We consider Ireland a very professional organisation.”
He said the actions of the gardaí in last September’s sting operation on an Irish, British and Dutch drugs and firearms’ ring “proved” that.
In that case, gardaí seized 27 firearms and 20kg of heroin, while police in the North recovered 14 firearms. The NCS broke up an arms factory, seizing 150 firearms.
Garda sources welcomed the Dutch operation: “Anything that disrupts the drugs trade is welcome. Anything that stops the importation of drugs into this country is good,” said one senior source.
The Dutch officer said Europol would play a key role in the heroin programme. He said that sharing information and intelligence between EU states was the “only way” to combat international crime.
Tony Geoghegan of Merchants Quay Ireland welcomed the crackdown. He said there was no shortage of heroin in Ireland: “There’s definitely no shortage. In fact, in recent weeks, the quality of heroin is very good. It usually gets better when there is a lot of quantity, because prices tend to remain stable.”
Dutch police say they are seizing much larger consignments of heroin in recent years. Both EU and UN drug bodies have warned of a possible new heroin crisis due to stockpiles of the drug in Afghanistan.
