editor@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

JUDGES WAGE DRUGS WAR

Longer Jail Terms Are Suggested

DRUG dealers in Northern Ireland should be locked up for longer than in the rest of the United Kingdom, the province’s top judges have declared. They described the present maximum of 14 years as "unrealistic" and said new laws were necessary to curb the increasing drug trade in the province.

Laying down new sentencing guidelines in the Court of Appeal, the judges said: "We would express the hope that the Government in this jurisdiction will review the limit as a positive effort to prevent Northern Ireland becoming more deeply involved in the evil drug trade." The court dismissed an appeal against a four-year jail sentence by David McIlwaine (25), of Salia Avenue, Carrickfergus, who had pleaded guilty to possessing almost 10kg of cannabis resin with a street value of £100,000.

Delivering the court’s reserved judgment, Lord Justice MacDermott said:

"This 10kg seizure indicates there is a growing amount of cannabis resin in circulation in this jurisdiction and that the use of cannabis is on the increase.

"That is a most regrettable situation and the courts must adjust their levels of sentencing upwards in an attempt to deter such activity." He quoted RUC statistics showing that seizures of cannabis rose from 97kg in 1994 to 455kg last year.

Lord Justice MacDermott said: "While 10kg may be a common seizure in England, it can in Northern Ireland represent the first flowering of a developing drugs market which requires a forceful judicial response." He said the law had not been changed since 1971 and a well-known guideline case for sentencing was no longer appropriate.

The judge said the practice in England was to impose a 10-year sentence for possession of 500kg of cannabis but the court felt that in Northern Ireland, the possession of 200kg should merit such a sentence.

"We take this view because we are satisfied that it is essential that we try to curb the increasing traffic in this drug in this jurisdiction," he said.

The three appeal judges said that while sentences could not be calculated simply by weight or value, they felt possession of cannabis as low as 1kg should result in at least five years imprisonment, rising to about 10 years for 200kg.

"Larger quantities would attract sentences up to the maximum which could well be appropriate in many cases," they said.

Editorial from the Belfast Telegraph, Northern Ireland, UK
March 14, 1998

editor@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

DRUGS MENACE - STIFFER SENTENCES: JUDGES STRIKE THE RIGHT CHORD

WHEN the judiciary calls for increased penalties for drug dealers in Northern Ireland, alarm bells should sound throughout this community. Yesterday the Court of Appeal described the existing maximum jail sentence of 14 years as "unrealistic" and said new laws were needed to curb the increasing drug trade in the province.

The current law was introduced in 1971, and there is a clear case for reviewing whether the penalties which it laid down still provide an effective deterrent. Controversially, the three appeal judges went on to suggest that penalties here should be greater than elsewhere in the UK, on the grounds that this is a problem which must be tackled before it is too late.

Their case for longer sentences is based on the startling rise in drug seizures in Northern Ireland in recent years. Last year, some 455kg of cannabis resin recovered was recovered, an alarming increase on the figure of 97kg in 1994. Similarly, the number of ecstacy tablets intercepted rose from 2,711 in 1991 to 136,860 in 1995. The number of LSD doses increased tenfold over the same four year period.

Successive surveys have shown that young people throughout Northern Ireland have easy access to illegal drugs. Recently, there has been growing evidence of the availability of hard drugs such as crack cocaine and LSD, and worrying reports of the involvement in the drugs business of paramilitary groups. It is an issue which affects every strata of society, and there is no room for complacency.

Parents and teachers must reinforce the anti-drugs message, and become more aware of the tell-tale signs. Given that the RUC estimates that its seizures represent only 10% of the total amount of drugs in circulation, the present figures represent just the tip of the iceberg. The province’s young people are being exploited by a network of drug dealers, who are enjoying luxurious lifestyles as a result. The threat of heavier sentences is one of the few deterrents at society’s disposal. The courts must be given the necessary powers to impose meaningful penalties.

The Irish Independent
Dublin, Irish Republic
By Ralph Riegel
March 12, 1998

independent.letters@independent.ie

http://www.independent.ie/

CANNABIS IS A ‘GATEWAY DRUG’ LEADING TO CRIME

Garda (Ed. note: Irish national police) Commissioner Pat Byrne last night dismissed demands for the legalisation of "soft" drugs and warned cannabis is a key factor in Ireland’s current crime problem.

Commissioner Byrne issued the warning as he revealed gardai are on target to achieve a crime reduction of 10pc plus this year.

Ireland now boasts half the European crime average with the Garda crime detection rate of 42pc higher than that of police in the UK (26pc) and the US (21pc).

But the Commissioner focussed on claims garda resources are being wasted in the battle against soft drugs.

A garda survey revealed however, more than 50pc of addicts surveyed had started with cannabis - and more than 90pc were now using heroin as their primary drug.

Garda operations in Cork, Clare and Tipperary over the past month netted over £5m worth of cannabis and ecstasy, he pointed out.

"The significant findings of our research are that cannabis is a gateway drug and there is a strong connection between drug-taking and crime."