Commercial-scale drug dealing convictions half in recent years

Commercial-scale drug dealing convictions have halved in recent years, The Irish Times reports.

Sentencing figures, which show that between 2011 and 2012 there were more than 200 convictions for possession of commercial volumes of drugs, were obtained by TD Clare Daly.

Many of these were cases from before the recession.

But in 2013, the courts saw a sharp decline in cases, with 181 convictions for commercial level drug dealing in 2013 – a drop of 19 per cent on 2012.

Commercial-scale drug dealing is, in law, the possession of illicit drugs worth €12,500 or more for sale or supply.

In 2014, there were a mere 91 cases, representing a drop of 59 per cent on a previous peak of 223.

While last year saw the numbers rise to 125, Garda sources said it would be premature to assume the drug trade has recovered.

More widely, drug crime has dropped by 35 per cent after the boom in cocaine fell apart following the recession in 2008.

Possession of drugs for sale or supply has declined by 21 per cent: there were 4,301 such offences in 2008, but only 3,378 last year.

Meanwhile, possession for personal use has plummeted by 39 per cent. There were 18,093 such cases in 2008 but only 10,962 last year.

Most people take drugs recreationally and are not addicts. Because of this, their use is tied to their economic fortunes, meaning they stop when their incomes no longer allow it.

But some Garda members also think reductions in the force have had an effect on convictions.

One source told the paper: “We have had people in headquarters warning lately that if you don’t have the staff, then the policing service is going to suffer.

“A lot of these drugs operations involve surveillance and carrying out planned raids and stop-and-searches, which cost a lot of money.”