§ 6. Vernon CoakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent successes there have been against organised crime in Northern Ireland. [33138]
§ Jane KennedyAs chair of the Organised Crime Task Force, I pay tribute to the operational agencies for their many successes in the fight against organised crime. Let me quote just a few recent examples
On 9 January 2002, 8.4 million cigarettes were seized at Belfast docks. This success comes on top of the largest ever UK seizure of illegal cigarettes on 8 November 2001, when 42.5 million cigarettes were seized at Warrenpoint.In recent weeks, customs has seized 42,500 litres of illicit fuel in two operations—a fuel laundering plant in south Armagh and an illegal fuel storage bunker in County Tyrone.In the past two months alone, 12 people have been arrested for money-laundering or tax evasion offences and two for armed robberies; on 22 January two men were jailed for extortion offences.Such success demonstrates that the Government are determined to tackle organised crime activity wherever it rears its ugly head. While such activity is a regrettable part of Northern Ireland's past and present it cannot become part of the future.
§ 22. Mr. LukeTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to tackle(a) extortion and (b) trade in counterfeit goods. [33154]
§ Jane KennedyIn Northern Ireland we are seeking to tackle and confront extortion and trade in counterfeit goods through the co-ordinated efforts of the Organised Crime Task Force (OCTF) which I chair.
The OCTF provides a multi-agency approach to tackling the range of organised criminal activity that exists in Northern Ireland, and to optimise our approach members are drawn from HM Customs and Excise, PSNI and NIO, as well as others.
§ 28. Michael FabricantTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on levels of crime arising from cross border smuggling. [33160]
§ Jane KennedyThe Organised Crime Task Force has identified high levels of cross border smuggling. The details can be found in the task force's threat assessment for 2001–02. Good co-operation between the PSNI, the Garda and other agencies has resulted in a number of successes against smugglers. These successes include the seizure of 80 million cigarettes in Dundalk, and the seizure of 42,500 litres of fuel from a fuel laundering plant in South Armagh.