Naval Conference In Cobh.

[Goldie fish]

Senior Officers From the Irish Naval service are hosting an international conference on the future of Drug Enforcement at sea in Cobh this weekend.
Senior officers from the NS, Gardai and Customs service will be meeting with their counterparts from the UK, US and other nations to discuss the future of the prevention of Drug Smuggling in Ireland.

[moggy]

interesting?

[Goldie fish]

Report in todays Irish Times about Plans for an EU coordination on the prevention of smuggling from North africa, Following from Last weeks conference.

Most of the Illicit drugs on sale here are being smuggled by sea to Ireland Via Spain.
The Gardai and the Revenue Customs service, along with the Naval Service and Air Corps, make up an Irish Task force led by the Dept of Justice that will form part of the EU's new MAOC-N unit, or Maritime Analysis Operations Centre-Narcotics. It is envisaged Garda and Revenue Liason officers will be based in Lisbon, where MAOC-N will be headquartered.
These Irish Officials will regularly brief their European counterparts on the activities of major Irish drugs smugglers based in Ireland, Holland and spain with a view to intercepting their shipments.
It is envisaged that based on the shared Intelligence, the Air Corps and Naval service will perform Narcotics controls in Irish Waters and will seize vessels known to be carrying drugs here.

[Steamy Window]

Will the Revenue/DoJ/DoD receive any EU funding for this?

[Goldie fish]

Theres the big question...

[Goldie fish]

Ireland joins initiative to tackle cocaine trafficking
30/09/2007 - 11:56:15

The Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan was in Portugal today to launch a new international effort to tackle cocaine trafficking.

Lenihan was joining his counterparts from the six other EU countries which are involved in the initiative.

They are to open a new centre in Lisbon today, which will co-ordinate intelligence between police and the military in each country.

The Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre will be equipped with high-level intelligence systems and a rapid response team to intercept drugs gangs.

It will target in particular the increasing shipments of cocaine into Europe from South America.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakin.../mhmhaukfkfey/

[ropebag]

Will the Revenue/DoJ/DoD receive any EU funding for this?

why should it, isn't enforcement of the Law and the control of borders one of the things countries do regardless of which international club they are a member of?

[A/TEL]

Ireland joins initiative to tackle cocaine trafficking
30/09/2007 - 11:56:15

The Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan was in Portugal today to launch a new international effort to tackle cocaine trafficking.

Lenihan was joining his counterparts from the six other EU countries which are involved in the initiative.

They are to open a new centre in Lisbon today, which will co-ordinate intelligence between police and the military in each country.

The Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre will be equipped with high-level intelligence systems and a rapid response team to intercept drugs gangs.

It will target in particular the increasing shipments of cocaine into Europe from South America.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakin.../mhmhaukfkfey/

As fa as i know there is a vacancy for a Naval officer in the Operations Centre in Lisbon, dont know if it will be filled tho.

[thebig C]

Prohibition doesn't work

This is all a complete waste of time, effort and taxpayers' money (yours and mine). The 'law enforcement' approach to the use of drugs has been a complete and extremely expensive failure all over the world.

It's simple: prohibition doesn't work. That lesson was learned in the US in the 1920s in relation to alcohol. And what's worse is that it actually creates a much bigger problem by making the supply of drugs illegal, thereby handing a massive business opportunity to ruthless criminal gangs.

There is no perfect solution here. However decriminalising and regulating drug use - treating recreational drugs in the same way as we treat alcohol and nicotine, the 'respectable' recreational drugs - would remove the criminal aspect and eliminate up to 75% of the crime in parts of this country. (Garda figures show approx. 75% of crime in Dublin is drugs-related.)

[Goldie fish]

That needs to be tackled at a global level though. No point in us having a liberal view on drug use, when the rest of the world doesn't. Holland is a prime example of how this can go wrong. What was thought of as a liberal ideal with people being free to do whatever they want, instead turned into the trading hub for all Europe bound Narcotics.