Only 4% of dealers get 10-year jail terms

Only 4% of offenders convicted of large-scale drug dealing get the mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years. Many get suspended sentences.

According to figures released by the Courts Service, under a freedom of information request, judges are ignoring mandatory sentencing legislation introduced in 1999 to combat an upsurge in organised crime.

Section 15(a) of The Criminal Justice Act, 1999, introduced the offence of possession of drugs, for sale or supply, with a value of more than €13,000. The law set a minimum sentence of 10 years’ jail, although judges could impose lesser sentences in cases involving “exceptional and specific circumstances”.