GARDAI DECLARE WAR ON LOCAL DRUGS DEALERS

GARDAI and the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) are to launch a major crackdown
on local drug dealers across the country.

In an expansion of Operation Cleanstreet, CAB will target the assets of
known drug dealers. Local Garda drug units will also be given additional
resources.

Several hundred street suppliers have been brought before the courts,
primarily in Dublin, under Operation Cleanstreet since its inception over
six years ago.

As part of the undercover operation, detectives buy drugs from dealers and
later arrest them. Its success has prompted Justice Minister John
O'Donoghue to widen the scope of the operation.

"The country is ripe for an extension of Operation Cleanstreet and it's
badly needed. It's based in Dublin, although we have done ad hoc
arrangements around the country, one weekend here, one weekend there.

"Under the plan, the regions will have their own undercover unit, a group
of ten people, who will be able to target dealers regularly. There are a
lot of dealers too big for local units to handle. The local units nominate
these people and we'll take them on," said a Garda National Drug Unit source.

Gardai have drawn up profiles of known dealers, identified their assets and
forwarded the information to CAB. Officers from CAB have also met with
gardai to outline the plan.

"We meet local Det Sergeants in each region and explain to them what CAB
can do and what we need in respect of taking action.

"This is in order that new people on the block can be identified. If they
have huge assets we seize it under proceeds of crime or we may do a tax
assessment. The local units don't have the expertise for that," said Det
Chief Supt Felix McKenna.

CAB have recently held meetings in different parts of the country,
including Kilkenny, Cork, Sligo and Donegal.

The move by the Criminal Assets Bureau to widen its scope beyond national
dealers to local suppliers is also been widely welcomed. "We would welcome
any such move. Anything that involves increasing the strength of our unit
is good news. Lack of manpower is our biggest problem," said Det Sgt Gerry
Roche of the Galway Drugs Unit.