847. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Justice the actions that are being taken to combat drug-related crime and gang activity in north Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3597/25]

Jim O'Callaghan, Minister for Justice: The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities and is deeply aware of the impact that serious crime, including drug related crime, can have on communities. The Government’s approach to the misuse of drugs is set out in Ireland’s National Drug Strategy, ‘Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery’. This is a health-led approach to drug and alcohol use in Ireland, and it represents a whole-of-Government response to reduce demand and associated harms. The Government is also committed to limiting access to illegal drugs to the greatest extent possible. I am fully committed to helping to significantly reduce the harms of illicit drug use by tackling organised crime, minimising the harms caused to those with addiction issues, and diverting people from involvement in crime and illicit drug related activity.

Unprecedented funding has been provided to An Garda Síochána which has enabled the Commissioner to assign extra resources to the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB), the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Armed Support Unit and the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB). This allocation of €2.48 billion in Budget 2025, represents a 27% increase since 2020.

This additional investment ensures that An Garda Síochána can continue to target those involved in street-level drug dealing across the country and also focuses on disrupting and dismantling the drug trafficking networks that impact on our communities, as well as prosecuting those involved at every level through Operation Tara. In January of this year, Gardaí confiscated cannabis worth €460,000 in two separate seizures in North Dublin.

The Government is committed to limiting access to illegal drugs to the greatest extent possible and is committed to taking a number of direct actions to tackle this. In the last year alone, the Government demonstrated this commitment by:

• Increasing the maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder from 10 years to life in prison to tackle those who direct gangland and drug related crime

• Enacting new laws which criminalise the grooming of children into a life of crime;

• Rolling out a support programme to break the link between the gangs and the children they try to recruit.

The GNDOCB leads in tackling all forms of drug trafficking and the supply of illicit drugs in Ireland. Collaboration at an inter-agency and international level remain key in tackling this issue. Given the global nature of the drugs trade, international law enforcement co-operation is a critical element in the overall response.