417.  Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if as part of the wider national drug strategy he will agree to use the Criminal Assets Bureau to strip gangs of their assets and follow through on the public promises of his predecessor to include front-line and middle-ranking drug dealers in this targeted response. [11719/11]

Minister for Justice and Equality (Deputy Alan Shatter): The work of the Criminal Assets Bureau is central to tackling serious and organised crime, including drug trafficking and other drug related criminal activity. The Bureau is being actively utilised to identify and target funds accumulated by those involved in drug related activity, in order to seize such assets and to deprive those involved of the profits of their criminal activity.

A dedicated unit within the Garda National Drugs Unit has been established to liaise with the Criminal Assets Bureau to particularly target those criminals and criminal groups believed to be deriving profits and assets from drug-related criminal activity.

In addition, the Criminal Assets Bureau continues to utilise the services of criminal assets profilers located in Garda Divisions throughout the country. The Bureau uses the valuable local knowledge supplied to them by these profilers to target the assets of known drug dealers in local communities.

The role of the Criminal Assets Bureau in tackling those involved in drug dealing, and the Bureau’s focus on middle and lower ranking criminals, was acknowledged during the public consultation process which informed the development of the National Drugs Strategy 2009-2016