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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 23 Jan 1996

Vol. 460 No. 3

Written Answers. - Drugs Seizures.

John Ellis

Question:

379 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for Justice the date each seizure of drugs made by the Naval authorities was taken over by the Garda in each month since January 1994. [19219/95]

Current legislation does not provide for the seizure of drugs by Naval Service personnel and, accordingly, no such seizures have been made. Seizures of drugs at sea in operations in which the Garda and the Naval Service are involved are, in all circumstances, made by gardaí.

The co-operation between the Navy and Garda has been excellent and has resulted in sizeable amounts of controlled drug seizures over the previous two years. Since 1994 the following seizures had a Naval input:— (a) Seizure of 700 Kgs of cannabis resin at Bally-conneely, County Galway on 9 July 1994; (b) Seizure of 15,000 Kgs of cannabis resin at Urlingford, County Kilkenny on 8 November 1995.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Government has approved my proposal to designate certain Naval Service personnel as enforcement officers for the purpose of Part V of the Criminal Justice Act, 1994, in connection with drug trafficking offences at sea. This will include a power to stop, board and search a ship, and anyone on it, to arrest without warrant anyone suspected of a drug trafficking offence and to seize and detain anything found on the ship which appears to an enforcement officer to be evidence of such an offence.

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