Subj: Northern Ireland: Drugs seizures double



Date:  Monday, September 21, 1998



Source:    Belfast Telegraph





Drugs seizures double.

By Peter McVerry 



ILLEGAL drugs with an estimated street value of

more than UKP6m were seized by the RUC last year

- double the total for the previous year, it was

revealed today. 



The RUC Drug Squad recovered UKP6,614,955 worth

of drugs in 1997, compared to UKP3,282,110 in 1996

- a rise of over UKP3m. 



In comparison, statistics released in Scotland

show UKP9m of drug seizures last year in an area

roughly three times the size of Northern Ireland. 



The RUC warned that there are two reasons for

the record seizures - police inroads against

dealers and a disturbing growth in a Northern

Ireland's drugs culture. 



Figures show that arrests for drug offences in the

province also rose in the financial year 1997-98

from 909 to 1,017. 



Drugs recovered included the province's first

seizure of the deadly drug 'crack' cocaine in

Ballymena in July. 



More than UKP1m worth of Ecstasy was seized last

year, compared to none in 1990. 



LSD seizures increased a mammoth 220-fold in

the same period. The finds in one town - Newry -

equalled all the seizures in Northern Ireland for the

previous 10 years. 



And last year the quantity of cannabis seized was

12 times that of 1990. 



Among the totals seized were 363.5 grams of

cocaine, over 78,000 Ecstasy tablets and 448

kilos of cannabis resin. 



A large proportion of the increase in the monetary

value of the drugs seized last year can be

attributed to Northern Ireland's biggest ever drugs

haul - UKP2m of cannabis recovered at Belfast docks

in June 1997. 



That smashed the previous record set in March of

the same year when almost UKP500,000 of cannabis

was seized in Coleraine. 



But the latest Chief Constable's report warns that

Northern Ireland cannot become complacent in

the fight against drugs. 



"The large seizures of controlled substances

reflects not only positive police action taken to

reduce the supply of controlled substances but is

also, unfortunately indicative of the persistent

development of a drugs culture in Northern

Ireland," the report said. 



Drugs officers said there is also concern that

heroin has gained a foothold in Northern Ireland. 



"Of great concern is the increasing popularity of

an injecting culture amongst heroin users," said

police. 



Drug workers say the quality of illegal drugs

available in Northern Ireland has also increased -

raising concerns about the potential for

overdoses.