Pubdate: Thu, 02 Nov 2000 Source: Irish Examiner (Ireland) Copyright: Examiner Publications Ltd, 2000 Section: Opinion Contact: http://www.examiner.ie/ IRISH DRUG BARONS LIVING ABROAD THE PRIORITY TARGET Horrific accounts of the murder of three young Irishmen in Holland leave no room for doubt on the evils of the worldwide drugs trade. By any standards, the gory evidence of how crazed Dutch addicts killed their victims makes for gruesome reading. The nightmares of the Monahan and Costello families deepened yesterday when they learned how one of the young men was stabbed to death after being shot. Claims that the accused were using enormous amounts of drugs in no way diminishes their responsibility. Set against the grisly scenario of such an appalling crime, it is imperative that the powerful Dail Committee on European Affairs seeks the advice of Dutch experts in its efforts to put Irish drug barons living in Amsterdam out of business. It is an established fact that some of the main suppliers of Ireland's multi million pound drugs trade fled to Amsterdam when the Criminal Assets Bureau moved to seize their assets. It makes sense for the Committee to elicit hard information from informed sources in Holland so as to put the spotlight on criminals who still dominate a corrupt trade which has spread its tentacles into every town and village in Ireland. Putting them out of business is a priority. To date, the Dutch police have co-operated fully with the Garda authorities in cracking down on the crime lords who live in luxury abroad. By investigating the complex ramifications of this vicious trade, which has caused the deaths of so many addicts and ruined the lives of people in every community, the Committee has an important role in putting the drugs business into more realistic perspective. It is essential that the Dutch authorities respond positively to any request for information which would achieve the objective of tracking down the shadowy figures who pull the string of the drugs' business from a safe distance. The Committee's brief is to investigate all aspects of trafficking from Europe into this country, particularly the sourcing of heroin and other hard drugs which wreak havoc in local communities. With this in mind, the Committee has wisely decided to ask the Dutch authorities for a full briefing on how the supply lines could be cut off. Anyone naive enough to believe drugs can be used safely and exclusively for recreational purposes should reflect on the appalling evidence unfolding in Holland. Indeed, there is a worrying tendency among commentators and some British politicians to play down the dangerous repercussions of drugs. Nowadays it is becoming fashionable to play up the positive aspects of the recreational and, by implication, allegedly harmless effects of using them. Tragically, the triple murder scenario is ample proof that a society whose liberal policy is tantamount to declaring open season for drug users was destined to become Europe's safe haven for the godfathers of crime who amass fortunes by preying on the weak and vulnerable. - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager