At the outset I would like to assure the Deputy that tackling drug dealing and associated criminal activity, including by organised crime groups, is a top priority for An Garda Síochána and this Government.
An Garda Síochána continues to target those involved in the sale and supply of illegal drugs through Operation Tara, which has a strong focus on tackling street-level dealing across the country. Operation Tara also focuses on disrupting and dismantling the drug trafficking networks that impact on our communities and prosecuting those involved at every level.
The Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) has had significant, sustained success in disrupting the supply of illicit drugs by organised crime groups with over €235 million worth of drugs seized in the period 2016 – 2021, as well as several substantial seizures in recent weeks.
The Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022 is being progressed. These new laws will ensure that An Garda Síochána and our Courts have the tools they need to take firm and decisive action to deal with our most serious criminals.
The record budgetary resources allocated to An Garda Síochána in recent years have enabled the Garda Commissioner to assign extra resources to the specialist units involved in tackling organised crime, including the Armed Support Unit, GNDOCB, the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB).
An Garda Síochána uses multi-disciplinary approaches to ensure the activities of individuals and groups involved in criminal enterprise are effectively targeted. Such approaches include the use of money-laundering legislation and the powers available to CAB under the proceeds of crime legislation. Other measures taken to tackle organised crime include the strengthening of legislation where required, the establishment of a second Special Criminal Court in 2016, and the establishment of Garda Armed Response Units in all Garda regions which are available to support all divisions countrywide.
Finally, in relation to the use of children by criminal gangs to deal drugs, the Criminal Justice (Exploitation of Children in the Commission of Offences) Bill was initiated in the Dáil in January of this year. In addition to the new legislation, the Greentown approach to assisting children who are drawn into criminal networks, based on the 'Lifting the Lid on Greentown' report produced by my Department in partnership with the University of Limerick, is currently being operated in two locations and is having a positive impact on helping those children and their families break away from the criminal gangs who are exploiting them.
