SEIZING DRUG BARON'S HOME BEST WAY TO BATTLE DEALING

The seizure of assets held by a convicted international narcotics dealer by the Criminal Assets Bureau will send out a loud and clear message that there is no place in Ireland for so called drug barons.

This seizure marks yet another major success by the Irish authorities against the worldwide drugs mafia.

Some indication of the vast wealth amassed by major drug dealers can be gleaned from the scale of the property near Sneem on the Ring of Kerry.

Besides containing superb antique furniture and a costly art collection, the 15 acre ground has a swimming pool, tennis courts and landscaped gardens. The luxury property, valued at pounds 1.5 million, also includes an island just off the coast. Its owner, a 53 year old Dutch, national is a major trafficker in cannabis and ecstasy and the island may have been used to bring drugs into Ireland and Europe.

The seizure proves the most effective way to defeat the drug trade is to jail convicted dealers and confiscate their assets.

When this fabulous property comes on the market, perhaps the Government should buy it and put it to better use as a summer residence for the President of Ireland a fitting place where visiting dignitaries could be appropriately entertained in the Kingdom.