Cllr Tom Crosby Chairman of the West Regional Authority that represents Galway City, Galway County, Mayo and Roscommon has placed a matter regarding the lack of Custom Checks in the West of Ireland on the agenda for discussion at the next Regional Authority Meeting which will be held in Galway City Council on Tuesday.
Cllr Crosby States that the entire West of Ireland Coastline is wide open to drug smugglers as a result of funding cutbacks to Customs and the Garda. A number of private airports have no custom checks at all and are also vulnerable to drug traffickers according to Garda sources. Cllr Crosby will be calling for a resolution to be passed at the West Regional Authority Meeting that the government provide adequate resources including the provision of Custom Cutter Boats to patrol the West of Ireland Coastline in order to detect drugs coming in at the Ports, at present there are two units assigned to the South of Ireland leaving the whole west coast from Donegal to Limerick with no permanent custom patrol also there is only one Drug Sniffer dog with Revenue for the entire Border Midlands and West region this dog and handler is also shared with the Garda Siochana. Due to the major funding cut backs customs are now substantially relying on the public to call a Free-phone 1800 line displayed on signage erected at ports and airports around the west. Calls are answered by a recorded message asking the public to leave information about suspicious shipping or aircraft activity. As drugs activity in Ireland is now at epidemic levels and resulting in murder and major crime across our country and destroying the lives of many young people. Cllr Crosby states that are urgent action and adequate resources is now essential.