Vol. 548 No. 5
197 Mr. Currie asked the Minister for Finance, further to Parliamentary Question No. 198 of 12 February 2002, the number of occasions in each of the past five years when customs officers have visited Weston Aerodrome as a check against the landing or exportation of prohibited goods, particularly controlled drugs; the result of such visits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5795/02]
I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that customs officers have visited Weston Aerodrome on 65 occasions in the past five years as follows: 1997, ten occasions; 1998, 12 occasions; 1999, 12 occasions; 2000, 12 occasions; and, 2001, 19 occasions.
The Deputy will appreciate that it would not be appropriate to comment in detail on the specific operations performed by the officers aimed at countering drug smuggling. However, the Commissioners advise me that visits were made under the customs drugs watch programme which I mentioned in my previous reply; on information/ intelligence gathering duties; to implement customs controls; to support national and international operations – conducted jointly with other enforcement agencies from abroad – aimed at preventing drug smuggling; and on revenue-related duties. The Commissioners further advise me that there have been no seizures of controlled drugs or other prohibited goods by customs at Weston in the past five years.
The Deputy will be aware from the Revenue Commissioners' annual reports of the very substantial seizures of drugs, tobacco and other prohibited goods that have been made in recent years by officers of the Customs and Excise Service.
