I am advised by Revenue that the number of seizures of drugs going through the postal services in the years 2016 – 2018 and to-date in 2019 (*31/10/19), the volume and the value of those seizures is as set out in the following table:
Year
|
Number of seizures
|
Volume (kg)
|
Value (€)
|
2016
|
884
|
131.38
|
1,688,323.53
|
2017
|
933
|
275.90
|
4,190,281.76
|
2018
|
1,149
|
282.15
|
2,585,476.12
|
2019 (to 31 October)
|
2,211
|
543.89
|
2,958,671.46
|
Total
|
5,177
|
1,233.32
|
11,422,752.87
|
I am assured by Revenue that combating the smuggling/importation of controlled drugs into this jurisdiction is, and will continue to be, a priority. Revenue's work against drugs crime is extensive and multifaceted and is kept under constant review to ensure that it makes the most effective contribution possible to dealing with this societal problem, in the overall framework of the Government’s National Drugs Strategy 2017-2025.
I am advised also that prosecutions for offences in relation to controlled drugs are, by agreement, between Revenue and An Garda Síochána, undertaken by An Garda Síochána.