Pubdate: 30 July 1999 Source: Examiner, The (Ireland) Copyright: Examiner Publications Ltd, 1999 Contact: http://www.examiner.ie/ WAR ON DRUGS MUST CONTINUE THE conviction yesterday of Brian Meehan for the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin closes another chapter in a story that shocked this country for the depth and range of the depravity of the serious criminal world it exposed. Although nobody has so far been convicted of actually pulling the trigger of the gun which saw the journalist die in a hail of bullets, the Garda investigation has achieved remarkable successes. Veronica Guerin’s death, although desperately tragic for her husband and young son, resulted in an unprecedented attack on Dublin’s sordid and vicious criminal underworld by the gardai. That seedy seam of drugs and serious crime was torn inside out because of the public outrage Ms Guerin’s murder elicited. In the course of her career, she had exposed the extent of the drugs problem and how far it had penetrated society. It is, of course, still an insidious problem that permeates all levels of Irish society as witnessed by the large seizures of drugs which are still being made. While the gardai and customs officials must be congratulated on those successes, it is still worrying to consider that the quantities which are seized are only the tip of the iceberg, and that somewhere along our coast, full of isolated coves and harbours, supplies are still coming in. The concerted effort the gardai displayed in bringing to justice those responsible for Veronica Guerin’s murder, or some of them at least, must be maintained in the fight against the drug dealers who are making millions of pounds every year by dealing death to our young people. Their unremitting and relentless fight against this evil would be a fitting memorial for a young mother who gave her life in the cause of justice. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek Rea