Report shows drug seizures climb six-fold

The number of drugs seizures made with the help of international police forces has increased six-fold in recent years, it emerged today.

The US Drug Enforcement Agency, Europol and other agencies worked with gardaí and customs officers on 40 joint operations in 2003, compared to just seven in the previous year.

According to the National Drugs Strategy progress report published today, the operations led to the seizure of €16m of drugs and 51 arrests.

Minister of State Noel Ahern, who is responsible for the drugs strategy, said there had been overall increases in the seizures of drugs such as cannabis and cocaine.

In 2003, gardaí seized 5,300 kilos of cannabis resin compared to 380 kilos in 2001 and 107 kilos of cocaine compared to 18 kilos in 2001.

“There are encouraging signs of progress over the period since 2001 which suggests that the current approach to tackling the drug problem is proving to be effective,” said Mr Ahern.

The report stated that gardaí and customs officers were achieving "considerable success" in relation to the National Drugs Strategy target of increasing drug seizures by 50% by 2008.

The number of sniffer dogs at ports and airports has been increased and the Customs Service has bought a new boat, the RCC Suirbhéir, to intercept vessels suspected of drugs smuggling.

The National Drugs Strategy began in 2001 with the aim of reducing drug supply, preventing addiction, treating drug users and carrying out research.

The progress report said the number of places for addicts needing methadone treatment had increased to 7,300, exceeding the target of 6,500 laid down in the strategy.

The vast majority of heroin addicts are in Dublin, with more than 12,000 in the capital and around 2,000 outside it.

Twelve of the 14 Local Drug Task Forces are located in the greater Dublin area, with the remaining two in Bray and Cork city. Ten regional drug task forces have also been established.

The progress report found there had been an improvement in the level of drug treatment services in prisons, with additional prison nurses, counsellors and drug free areas.

However, one of the key programmes to divert young people in high risk areas from drugs had spent just half of the first €18m allocated to it.

The report said the resources needed to manage the Young People’s Facilities and Services Fund (YPFSF) had been underestimated and there had also been practical difficulties in getting projects off the ground.

It recommended the appointment of a national co-ordinator for the YPFSF.

The mid-term review of the National Drugs Strategy is to be published later this year.