Country faces major battle with synthetic opioids, says senior drugs garda

Detective Chief Superintendent Séamus Boland said: 'The issues in Portlaoise Prison feed back into the dangers of the synthetic opioids, and these synthetic opioids that are actually available are causing similar problems all across Ireland since late last November.' Photo: Sam Boal/Collins Photos

A senior garda has said there has been no seizures of fentanyl in Ireland yet, but the country is facing a major battle with synthetic opioids.

Detective Chief Superintendent Séamus Boland was speaking after gardaí were involved in three major drugs seizures at Irish ports in the past week. The seizures also came as 11 prisoners were rushed to hospital from Portlaoise Prison for drug overdoses.

More than €30 million was seized in the past week by gardaí and Revenue officers at ports on the east coast. More than €103 million worth of drugs had been seized up to the end of June. 

Superintendent Boland, head of the Garda National Drug and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB), said it has identified several international drug trafficking gangs here, and that synthetic opioids will increasingly become an issue for the state.

“At any given time, we are investigating at a national level in the region of 15 individual groups who would be involved in drug trafficking," he said. He added that, to date, there has been "no fentanyl" detected here.

“The reality of transnational organised crime groups is that they operate as a network.

“Even on a global level, a European level, we talk about networks rather than groups, we have seen people who are in conflict perhaps with one group, two or three weeks later actually working with that group.

What is most important to all of these groups is who has access to a route to get product into a jurisdiction at any given time, and that in itself can lead to very swift peace talks and people quite happy because of the greed that is involved, because it is all about money.

“Personal differences can be put aside if there is potential for somebody to make huge money so our investigations would be investigating about 15 national priority groups at any given time, all of which have international nexus in multiple jurisdictions."

In the past week gardaí have seized cocaine worth €7.2m in Co Wexford, while Revenue officers assisted by gardaí seized cannabis with an estimated value of over €16m at the port on Saturday. In a third incident more than €10m of cocaine has been seized at Dublin Port on Tuesday.

Superintendent Boland, said the seizures are only “the tip of the iceberg”. “The drugs were in deep concealment at ports of entry... nothing new, nothing surprising, to us this is a trend that is occurring globally. We are seeing it almost on a weekly basis," he said.

He also said there are almost weekly seizures of regular-looking vehicles in towns across Ireland that have "specialised deep concealments", some of which have hydraulic entry points, and that these vehicles can be deemed as evidence of someone facilitating organised crime.

He added that drug gangs are “going to significant lengths to import drugs” which is filtering down into communities "all over the country" and that gardaí and revenue are continuing to strengthen their ports.

He said that gardaí have also held “high-level meetings” with the Irish prison service in the past few days following 11 overdoses in Portlaoise Prison this week.

“The issues in Portlaoise Prison feed back into the dangers of the synthetic opioids, and these synthetic opioids that are actually available are causing similar problems all across Ireland since late last November,” said Superintendent Boland.

Detective Chief Superintendent Séamus Boland said that, to date, there has been "no fentanyl" detected here. File picture

“I make that comment in advance of knowing what is the exact cause of that, but I think it’s probably going to turn out to be a synthetic opioid. An Garda Siochána has been working and continues to work very closely with the Irish prison service in relation to that matter.

“It’s recognised in Ireland that the issue of drug use is first and foremost, it is a health issue, and with a Minister for State with responsibility for national drugs strategy attached to the Department of Health. It is an issue in recent years, where culturally drug use has become acceptable.

“But again, those issues are being discussed and they are being discussed at very high levels.” 

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He added that positive roadside tests for cocaine or cannabis also continue to grow and motorists “are being found to test positive at road side tests for whether it be cocaine or cannabis". "What is the link of that to the significant increase in road deaths? This is all hugely concerning.” 

Drug testing at music festivals is also important and facilities are being made available, which is fully supported by gardaí.

Revenue Commissioner, Ruth Kennedy said that two “cocaine seizures were actually very deep concealments, so the gangs had gone to lengths to make sure they were very well concealed. It took our officers, along with our dogs who are an absolute great resource for us, and x-ray scanners to find”.