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.
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