Gardaí trying to 'take down' crime groups to stop fentanyl reaching our shores, McEntee says

Justice Minister Helen McEntee said fentanyl is likely to arrive in Ireland 'eventually'. Picture: Niall Carson/PA 

Gardaí are working to “intercept and take down” organised crime groups in a bid to stave off the importation of fentanyl to Ireland, Justice Minister Helen McEntee has said.

Separately, drugs minister Hildegarde Naughton has said work is ongoing on both a national and an international level to counter the emergence of the powerful opioid, which is now responsible for 200 deaths in the US every day.

She said work is continuing on wastewater treatment monitoring, syringe analysis, and engagement with hospital emergency departments to detect fentanyl.

"There's a number of areas where the HSE is working very closely at a national level with An Garda Síochána and there has been no evidence of fentanyl seizures coming into the country. We are also working at the EU level looking at the potential arrival of fentanyl," said Ms Naughton.

Asked if she is concerned about the importation of fentanyl to Ireland, Ms McEntee said it is likely to arrive on our shores "eventually".

“Unfortunately, I think what we've seen in previous years with crack cocaine, heroin, where it emerges initially often in America, South America, and North America, but it takes time. It does eventually make its way to our shores, to European shores, and beyond," said Ms McEntee.

“We are seeing an epidemic of this in the US, we're seeing the impacts and the effects that it's having on people. 

We need to do everything that we possibly can to highlight the danger, firstly, to individuals, but also to make sure that we're continuing to invest in the gardaí in resourcing them to try and make sure that this does not take hold in our communities.”

Ms McEntee said the seizure of 2.2 tonnes of cocaine off the coast of Cork in recent weeks is only the “tip of the iceberg”, following meetings with her counterparts in South America.