IRISH DRUG BARONS LIVING ABROAD THE PRIORITY TARGET

Horrific accounts of the murder of three young Irishmen in Holland leave no
room for doubt on the evils of the worldwide drugs trade.

By any standards, the gory evidence of how crazed Dutch addicts killed
their victims makes for gruesome reading.

The nightmares of the Monahan and Costello families deepened yesterday when
they learned how one of the young men was stabbed to death after being
shot. Claims that the accused were using enormous amounts of drugs in no
way diminishes their responsibility.

Set against the grisly scenario of such an appalling crime, it is
imperative that the powerful Dail Committee on European Affairs seeks the
advice of Dutch experts in its efforts to put Irish drug barons living in
Amsterdam out of business.

It is an established fact that some of the main suppliers of Ireland's
multi million pound drugs trade fled to Amsterdam when the Criminal Assets
Bureau moved to seize their assets. It makes sense for the Committee to
elicit hard information from informed sources in Holland so as to put the
spotlight on criminals who still dominate a corrupt trade which has spread
its tentacles into every town and village in Ireland.

Putting them out of business is a priority. To date, the Dutch police have
co-operated fully with the Garda authorities in cracking down on the crime
lords who live in luxury abroad.

By investigating the complex ramifications of this vicious trade, which has
caused the deaths of so many addicts and ruined the lives of people in
every community, the Committee has an important role in putting the drugs
business into more realistic perspective.

It is essential that the Dutch authorities respond positively to any
request for information which would achieve the objective of tracking down
the shadowy figures who pull the string of the drugs' business from a safe
distance.

The Committee's brief is to investigate all aspects of trafficking from
Europe into this country, particularly the sourcing of heroin and other
hard drugs which wreak havoc in local communities.

With this in mind, the Committee has wisely decided to ask the Dutch
authorities for a full briefing on how the supply lines could be cut off.

Anyone naive enough to believe drugs can be used safely and exclusively for
recreational purposes should reflect on the appalling evidence unfolding in
Holland. Indeed, there is a worrying tendency among commentators and some
British politicians to play down the dangerous repercussions of drugs.
Nowadays it is becoming fashionable to play up the positive aspects of the
recreational and, by implication, allegedly harmless effects of using them.

Tragically, the triple murder scenario is ample proof that a society whose
liberal policy is tantamount to declaring open season for drug users was
destined to become Europe's safe haven for the godfathers of crime who
amass fortunes by preying on the weak and vulnerable.