Rosslare becoming ‘major drugs port’

May 1986

There is growing concern that Rosslare Harbour has become the main drug importation point for the country.

Senior drug squad officers revealed on Wednesday that there has been a significant increase in the number of offenders caught trying to smuggle drugs through the port.

The revelation came as Wexford Circuit Court heard two separate cases involving three people who between them admitted the attempted importation of cannabis with a street value of nearly £80,000.

The offences occurred in March and April this year. Last week’s hearings followed the sentencing of a Dutchman in February for similar offences.

Before the court on Wednesday were another Dutchman, Everadus Johannes Dassen, who admitted importing cannabis worth more than £50,000 through Rosslare on March 18th last.

Also pleading guilty were Philip Hannigan (22) and Richard Joseph Travers (19), both from Tallaght in Dublin, who imported over £25,000 of cannabis between them on April 15th.

Dassen revealed in a statement that he had been paid the equivalent of approximately £500 to take the cannabis in a car to Ireland. He was to deliver it to a person in Dublin. The court further heard that he has so far refused to name that person.

The drug was concealed in an LPG gas tank in the car and was so carefully hidden that the vehicle had to be held overnight in Rosslare before the offence was detected.

A small gas tank showed a reading on the pressure gauge. It was the first time this type of outfit was ever detected being used to take drugs into Ireland, the court was told.

The two Dubliners also admitted their crime. They had travelled to Amsterdam after one of them was approached in Dublin and asked if he would like ‘a bit of work’.

The drugs were delivered to them in a hotel room in Amsterdam and they travelled back to Ireland as foot passengers, with the cannabis strapped to their bodies.

The drugs were uncovered when the two men were selected for searches by officers at Rosslare as they seemed to be acting suspiciously as they disembarked the ferry. The men quickly admitted their crime. They had been promised only ‘a relatively small’ amount of money each.

A senior drugs squad officer told the court that this was a ‘clumsy’ attempt at smuggling, but added that other smugglers are becoming more sophisticated all the time, pointing to the earlier case as an example.

He said there is growing concern that Rosslare is becoming the major point of entry for drugs into Ireland due to the relative lack of Customs and other personnel there in relation to other ports such as Dublin.

Sentencing in both cases was adjourned by the judge and all three defendants were remanded in custody.