Gangland crime fuelled by rise in drug smuggling

THE RISE of gangland crime and murder in Ireland is being fuelled by an unprecedented amount of drugs crossing the State’s largely unguarded coastlines, an Opposition TD has said.

Fine Gael justice spokesman Charlie Flanagan said he believed it was now “relatively easy” for criminals to get drugs into the country by sea or through ports and smaller airports, which was fuelling “gangland mayhem”.

“Customs is hampered by poor resources, with just one boat for the entire 4,300km coastline, one scanner for all commercial ports, and a lack of manpower at the smaller airports,” he said. “Promises for an extra X-ray machine for the ports, and another customs vessel remain unfulfilled.”

Quoting recent figures from the Central Statistics Office, Mr Flanagan said the number of drug offences has “soared by 75 per cent” in the last four years, from 13,326 in 2005 to 23,306 last year.

He said there was also strong evidence that drugs were being increasingly produced in Ireland, with a 338 per cent increase in offences for the cultivation or manufacture of drugs.

Mr Flanagan said there was a “cast-iron link” between the drugs trade and gangland crime and that drug barons were committing “one assassination every week”.

He pledged to challenge Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern in the Dáil over his failure to tackle the rise in “drug-fuelled” organised crime in the State.

A spokesman for Mr Ahern said the fact that the number of recorded drugs seizures had increased showed progress was being made in the fight against drugs and crime.

He said the statistics show gardaí have become more proactive on the ground and that he expects the number of gardaí to reach 15,000 by the year’s end.

“These increased numbers are having a positive effect on the ground,” he added