Vol. 534 No. 5
69 Mr. Coveney asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will make a statement on the number of seizures of crack cocaine in Dublin in 2001; and his views on whether crack cocaine is a growing problem in the capital. [10350/01]
I have been informed by the Garda authorities that no seizures of cocaine base, crack, have been made this year, to date. Four seizures containing cocaine base, crack, with a combined weight of 72.6 grammes were made during 2000. All of these seizures occurred in the Dublin metropolitan region. A special Garda operation is in place to investigate the availability of crack cocaine and a particular group is being targeted in this regard.
The Garda authorities have assured me that the Garda continuously monitors and analyses the trends and patterns in illicit drug use and have informed me that there is no evidence to suggest a growing presence of crack cocaine in Dublin or elsewhere in the country. The Garda is fully aware from foreign experience of the addictive and behaviour changing nature of crack cocaine and in this context, the incidence of cocaine base usage will be kept under review, with the utmost importance being attached to investigations in this area.
