THE GARDA Commissioner Fachtna Murphy yesterday hailed the seizure by Dutch police of 165 guns following the seizure of another 41 weapons in Dublin and Belfast earlier this week as a significant boost in the fight against organised crime.
Mr Murphy said that the joint operation involving gardaí and the Customs officers in the Republic, along with the PSNI in Northern Ireland and Dutch police, was an example of how closer international co-operation can produce significant results.
"It's an example of what can be achieved when we all work together and combating this dealing in firearms and drugs across borders into this country needs this type of international co-operation," he said.
Mr Murphy said he had spoken to both the PSNI chief constable Hugh Orde and a senior officer in the drugs and organised crime unit in Amsterdam and they all have pledged to continue with close co-operation.
"I see this as just one part of an ongoing operation, an ongoing strategy that my officers have in targeting drugs and organised crime and the importation of weapons into this country," said Mr Murphy.
"Any day that you take that number of guns off the street, any day that you prevent that type of weaponry and indeed these drugs from getting in the hands of organised crime in this jurisdiction is a good day," he added.
And he congratulated the Dutch authorities for their seizure of 165 weapons in Amsterdam. The Dutch police were acting on information obtained by An Garda Síochána and the PSNI during the investigation here in Ireland.
Mr Murphy said that gardaí have been aware for some time that gangs are smuggling in firearms with large drug consignments and seizing both weaponry and drugs remain the biggest challenges for the Garda.
Mr Murphy made an appeal to drug users.
"The battle goes on to target these criminals and to take the weaponry and drugs from their hands, [but] can I say to people who might this weekend engage in taking cocaine or heroin - you're doing a great a disservice to the communities in which you live.Because every time you pay money for drugs, you are funding the people who are engaged in this type of criminal activity and you're bringing death and misery to a lot of people," he warned.
Mr Murphy was speaking at University College Cork where he addressed an international conference on the subject of Applied Forensic and Investigative Psychology as Practical Tools for Law Enforcement.
