WAR ON DRUGS MUST CONTINUE

THE conviction yesterday of Brian Meehan for the murder of journalist
Veronica Guerin closes another chapter in a story that shocked this
country for the depth and range of the depravity of the serious
criminal world it exposed.

Although nobody has so far been convicted of actually pulling the
trigger of the gun which saw the journalist die in a hail of bullets,
the Garda investigation has achieved remarkable successes. Veronica
Guerin’s death, although desperately tragic for her husband and young
son, resulted in an unprecedented attack on Dublin’s sordid and
vicious criminal underworld by the gardai.

That seedy seam of drugs and serious crime was torn inside out because
of the public outrage Ms Guerin’s murder elicited. In the course of
her career, she had exposed the extent of the drugs problem and how
far it had penetrated society.

It is, of course, still an insidious problem that permeates all levels
of Irish society as witnessed by the large seizures of drugs which are
still being made.

While the gardai and customs officials must be congratulated on those
successes, it is still worrying to consider that the quantities which
are seized are only the tip of the iceberg, and that somewhere along
our coast, full of isolated coves and harbours, supplies are still
coming in.

The concerted effort the gardai displayed in bringing to justice those
responsible for Veronica Guerin’s murder, or some of them at least,
must be maintained in the fight against the drug dealers who are
making millions of pounds every year by dealing death to our young
people.

Their unremitting and relentless fight against this evil would be a
fitting memorial for a young mother who gave her life in the cause of
justice.