Posted by Download full profile
People
Ireland serves as both a transit and destination point for human trafficking. Flows involve a diverse group of countries of origin, from Africa, Asia and other European countries, but a prominence of victims from West Africa, Nigeria in particular, has been recorded in recent years. Victims are often controlled through debt bondage and are exploited for both sexual and labour purposes. Sex work is a prevalent form of sexual exploitation, with traffickers advertising their services on online marketplaces. Both foreign and domestic victims are affected, with those working in the fishing industry, agriculture, construction, domestic service, food production, garment manufacturing, and hospitality sectors being particularly vulnerable. Human trafficking is primarily conducted by foreign criminal networks, often with the help of corrupt employees at transit hubs such as ports or airports. Ireland has also seen an increase in human smuggling, with groups from Albania and Georgia smuggling people into the country for eventual transport to the UK. This increase is due to the post-Brexit tightening of free travel between the EU and the UK, as well as the exploitation of the Irish/UK common travel area by these groups. To enter Ireland from Northern Ireland, some individuals use forged Italian and Slovakian identity documents, as well as forged British passports.
Extortion and protection racketeering are major concerns in Irish drug markets. Recent reports of direct and systemic cases involving such crimes, however, are limited in the country. Nevertheless, there are sporadic reports involving extortion activities carried out by mafia-style groups and paramilitary groups that have a history of involvement in the extortion of legitimate businesses in the country. The impact of these practices on the daily operations of such businesses might be significant.
Trade
Firearms are heavily regulated in Ireland due to the country’s history of paramilitaries and the tradition of unarmed police. However, organized crime gangs still manage to smuggle firearms into and out of Ireland. There is a strong link between drug trafficking and firearms, with some drug dealers even renting firearms for intimidation purposes. Moreover, firearms are sometimes imported with drug consignments. Firearms for the Irish criminal market are primarily sourced from East European organized crime groups, with Moldova being a significant source.
The trade of counterfeit goods is also prevalent in Ireland, with textile goods and pharmaceutical products being the most commonly counterfeited items. In addition, the illicit trade of excise goods, such as cigarettes, loose tobacco, and alcohol, has become increasingly common in Ireland due to continually rising taxes. Irish citizens residing in China have acted as brokers between manufacturers and wholesalers of counterfeit cigarettes and enterprises smuggling them into Ireland. Paramilitary groups in the country have also been identified as involved in tobacco and alcohol smuggling.
Environment
Although Ireland is not considered a significant market for illegal timber, it is still a destination for such products. The illegal timber trade appears to be carried out individually rather than being linked to organized crime. Conversely, fauna crimes are increasingly becoming a significant problem in Ireland, especially in the form of persecution of certain birds such as falcons, to protect commercial pheasant stocks and racing pigeons. The illegal poaching of other bird species as well as otters is also prevalent in the country, especially for their fur. Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is also a serious problem in Ireland, with the wild Atlantic salmon being the most poached fish in the country. The authorities have warned that the country is in the midst of a biodiversity crisis, and freshwater fish are particularly at risk from IUU fishing activity.
Fuel laundering, where the fuel is adulterated to be sold on the black market, is both a criminal and an environmental issue in Ireland and has been a source of financing for illegal paramilitary organizations. Diesel laundering creates sludge, which local authorities are left to dispose of, resulting in significant costs. Due to the rising fuel costs resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the illicit fuel trade has become much more lucrative. There are concerns that criminals will exploit this opportunity if fuel prices remain high. Additionally, there have been reports of gold smuggling involving Irish nationals.
Drugs
Ireland has the second highest number of opiate users in the EU, with heroin being the drug of choice for many. Half of the estimated users are males over 35 years old, and most are concentrated in Dublin’s poorer areas. The heroin market in Ireland is linked to the market for synthetic drugs, such as benzodiazepines, with some users switching between drugs or using more than one. Cocaine use in Ireland has increased in recent years, and the country has become a transit point or destination for the drug, with significant seizures suggesting that Ireland is rapidly becoming part of the South American-European cocaine pipeline and a supply route to the UK, as well as supplying the internal markets north and south. The distribution networks are financed and enabled by transnational organized crime groups. In recent years, the number of young people treated for cocaine use more than doubled, highlighting that the cocaine problem worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the increased availability and consumption of crack cocaine have led to an increase in street violence in Dublin.
Cannabis remains the most commonly used illegal drug in the country. While there has been a shift towards homegrown cannabis, significant amounts of cannabis products are still seized by authorities, including cannabis oil, plants, and processed forms. The cannabis market is less profitable than other drugs and has a wider range of actors, including home growers. There is a growing link between this market and human trafficking, as labour exploitation has become prevalent in the illicit cannabis production sector. Despite the market being less violent than other drug markets, it still poses societal impacts, and efforts are being made to address these issues.
The use of MDMA (Ecstasy), LSD, and amphetamines has also increased in Ireland. The use of synthetic cathinones, a new class of synthetic drugs, has been a concern, and recent seizures by Revenue and Customs of a cathinone class synthetic have been reported by Irish news media. In addition to synthetics, synthetic cannabinoids have been found in hash/weed, low THC products, vape/liquid, and edible sweets, which have been linked to poisonings and death
Who Watches the Watchers? 