In an adjournment debate in the Dail last Thursday, Labour Party Deputy for Dublin West, Joan Burton TD called for the introduction of permanent customs and security checks at small airports around the country following last weeks seizure of drugs from a passenger on a flight that had originated from the Weston airport. Local Minister Brian Lenihan TD responded to Deputy Burton’s speech. The full text of the debate follows:

Ms Burton: I have raised the issue of airport smuggling checks on several occasions, as have certain party colleagues. As the Minister of State has pointed out, customs regulation is ultimately a function of the Department of Finance and the Revenue Commissioners. I call for the introduction of permanent customs and security checks at Weston Executive Airport and all the other small airports around the country following yesterday’s seizure of drugs from a passenger and the arrest of the pilot and co-pilot on a flight to Belgium that originated there.

Small airports dotted around the country unsurprisingly offer great opportunities for smuggling drugs, goods and even people into Ireland and the EU. I congratulate gardaí on the success of their operation in co-operation with Belgian police. They intercepted a massive quantity of heroin that would otherwise have made it onto the streets of Ireland, Britain or mainland Europe and brought misery to people’s lives.

However, that two Irishmen were arrested and that the flight originated at a private Irish airport, that an Irish plane was used, and that no security was in place suggests that our small airports risk being used as staging-posts in the international drugs trade. Criminals are clearly able to charter private aircraft and proceed to rendezvous points either in this country or abroad without the authorities knowing of their cargo or the purpose of their journey. That is extraordinary, and the Government must move quickly to address that anomaly, particularly as we all know that in Celtic tiger Ireland there has been massive growth in the ownership of private aeroplanes and helicopters.

Moreover, it is staggering that private individuals can lease their aircraft or allow them to be used by others, as was the suggestion yesterday regarding Mr. Mansfield, the owner of the plane. I understand his company also owns Weston Aerodrome. He appears to have been completely in the dark regarding what the aeroplane was being used for. There must clearly be a wholesale review of security arrangements, and especially customs arrangements, at every airport in the country. We cannot have Ireland as a drop-off point or staging-post for the international drugs trade.

Weston’s location in west Dublin and the severe problems of gang and drug violence on the entire west side of the city, of which I know the Minister of State is acutely aware, make it a particularly vulnerable target. If one adds to that the absolute lack of community policing there and the intelligence that such policing would provide, one sees that we are very vulnerable. We want the kind of surveillance at those small airports that one has nowadays in Dublin Airport. Statistics on seizures there show that the use of sniffer dogs and more up-to-date technology to track flights and so on will, over a period, produce results.

We clearly now have an unlocked door at small airports regarding smuggling and the international drugs trade. We saw in the Ryder Cup the massive use of private helicopters and aircraft in and out of Weston and similar locations on the west side of Dublin. Thankfully, what happened this time has ended with some success for the policing authority. However, a plan must be put in place immediately, and we clearly require the co-operation not only of the customs authorities and the Minister for Finance but of the Garda and policing authorities.

Minister Lenihan: I make this reply on behalf of the Minister for Finance and the Customs Service of the Office of the Revenue Commissioners. I thank Deputy Burton for raising this matter.

The Customs Service of the Office of the Revenue Commissioners has primary responsibility for the prevention, detection, interception and seizure of controlled drugs at importation. It has particular responsibility for implementing import controls at points of entry to the State, specifically at ports and airports, including licensed airfields, and on the land frontier. The control of licensed airfields in the State is carried out by customs enforcement teams. Those are dedicated anti-smuggling teams that focus on the smuggling of prohibited drugs and fiscal products.

Other duties undertaken by officers in attending licensed airfields include the clearance of aircraft and passengers arriving from third countries, spot checks on EU flights, the verification of fuel drawback claims, verification of end-use authorisations, clearance of aircraft under transfer of residence, and checks on private aircraft to ensure compliance with import procedures.

Best practice in customs administration worldwide shows that the development of information and intelligence is critical to the detection of drug smuggling. In Ireland, this has become very important since the completion of the Single Market in 1993, based as it is on the free movement of goods and people within the Community. As EU citizens have the right of free movement, Revenue has no power to stop an EU citizen except on the basis of a suspicion, normally grounded in specific intelligence.

A number of years ago, Revenue introduced a memorandum of understanding initiative, which involved reaching agreement with a number of organisations, trade associations and individual companies in the transport industry to encourage them to join the fight against drug smuggling as part of the Customs Drugs Watch programme. The programme incorporates a coastal and airfield reporting system whereby local customs officers visit all licensed aerodromes and airfields regularly. They have put in place a confidential system of communication between the licensed aerodrome operators and customs enforcement. Through this network, which is two-way, officers have discussed with the operators such matters as known methods used by drug smugglers and indicators of suspicious activity. This can help the operators in identifying situations and activities that may indicate a drug smuggling operation is under way and which they should report. This reporting system is an important element in the fight against drug smuggling.

In addition to local intelligence, the Customs and Excise shares and receives information and intelligence on drug smuggling from a number of international bodies, including the World Customs Organisation, United Nations Drug Control Programme, Interpol, Council of Europe, Europol and the UK’s Serious Organised Crime Agency.

Customs and Excise liaises on an ongoing basis with other national and international enforcement services such as the Garda Síochána, the Naval Service, the Air Corps, and foreign customs and police services. It takes part regularly in European, bilateral and national surveillance operations focused on specific drug smuggling methodologies, including general aviation. Some of these operations have been specifically directed at light aircraft and helicopter movements.

The Deputy will appreciate that it would be inappropriate for the Minister to comment in detail on specific operations in the criminal area of drug smuggling. The reported seizure earlier this week in Belgium of 50 kg of heroin, the arrest of three Irish nationals and the seizure of an aircraft based at Weston Aerodrome are of major concern to the Revenue Commissioners. To give an indication of the volume of arrivals in the State through Weston, the Minister understands that from February 2006 to the end of July 2006 there have been 142 flight arrivals from EU countries there and five from non-EU countries. This is in comparison with 1,500 flights every week arriving in Dublin Airport. It should be noted that drugs to the value of €6.7million have been seized by Customs and Excise to date in 2006 at Dublin Airport.

In 2004, officers attached to the Dublin enforcement district carried out 12 planned and six unplanned visits to Weston. During 2005, ten planned and six unplanned and to-date in 2006, 11 planned and three unplanned visits have been made to Weston by officers of the Revenue’s customs service.

In light of the Belgian seizure this week, the Minister is advised that the Revenue Commissioners are reviewing the risks attached to the operation of, and procedures attaching to, all 27 licensed aerodromes in the State, including in particular Weston. I am assured that the monitoring of licensed aerodromes in the State by the Revenue Commissioners is in line with international standards. The Revenue’s customs service is continually engaged in the analysis and evaluation of seizure trends, routes and smuggling risks and consequential resource deployment. All Customs and Excise operations are risk focused, and staff are deployed to combat areas of greatest risk. The level of activity at licensed aerodromes is constantly monitored from a risk perspective.

However, in light of the concerns raised by the seizure this week, the conditions under which the Revenue Commissioners approve licensed aerodromes will be immediately reviewed. The review will include options for improving the level of control and prior reporting of arrivals from EU and non-EU countries. Revenue will also review the frequency of checking incoming flights to these aerodromes.