CUSTOMS DRUGS SEIZURES SOAR 500%

THE value of drugs seized by customs officials jumped by more than 500%
last year, with (euro)60.6m worth discovered in 2001.

The bulk of the rise was due to an increase of more than 10,000% in
seizures of herbal cannabis, the lesser used but more potent type of the drug.

"We've had a highly successful year in the drugs area, but we're not
complacent. This is a very difficult trade to intercept," said Frank Daly,
chairman of the Revenue Commissioners.

Launching Revenue's Annual Report 2001, he said the successes were mainly
due to sophisticated intelligence work on the part of customs officers,
rather than chance or routine checks.

"The key factor in our success is intelligence-gathering and profiling of
individuals and consignments," he said.

The report noted almost all the herbal cannabis originated in South Africa.
The bulk of the cannabis comprised a small number of large consignments,
concealed in 'cover cargoes', that were detected at Dublin Port.

There were also three seizures of herbal cannabis in passengers' baggage at
Dublin Airport. The seizures were typically between 10 and 30kg each.

Customs continued to provide experienced staff and relevant information to
the Criminal Assets Bureau and (euro)23.49m was paid to the Revenue
Commissioners from CAB in 2001.

Revenue was also busy cracking illegal cigarette and tobacco smuggling.

Cigarette seizures increased by 68% on 2000, with the confiscation of 161m
cigarettes. Five tonnes of roll-your-own tobacco were also seized.

Sea traffic accounted for the seizure of 149.6m cigarettes while air and
postal traffic accounted for 11.1m and 500,000 respectively. Revenue
enforcement staff also clamped down on diesel laundering plants along the
border , seizing nine, many of them operated by criminals with links to
republican paramilitaries.

The report said internet sites offering cigarettes for sale were a
"particular cause of concern". Sites have been identified in a wide range
of countries such as Switzerland, Spain and Kazakhstan.

A special operation was set up with a view to detecting consignments of
cigarettes imported by mail. Operation Smokescreen resulted in 13,200
consignments, each of 200 cigarettes, being held for payment of import charges.

Mr Daly said the Revenue Commissioners were making a number of investments
this year, including:

* a canine programme, with 10 dogs in place by the end of this year;

* state-of-the-art examination facilities for ships and containers at
Rosslare and Dublin Port;

* a maritime fleet, replacing inflatable dinghies with boats.

Seizures

Herbal cannabis seized increased from 128kg in 2000 to 13,208kg in 2001.

More than 161m cigarettes were seized in 2001, compared to 96m in 2000, an
increase of 68%.

Nine diesel laundering plants were seized in 2001, which, if undetected,
could have defrauded the Exchequer of (euro)9.5m.