45. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Finance the number of packets and parcels containing illegal drugs detected by the Revenue Commissioners going through the postal service in each of the years 2016 to 2018 and to date 2019; the value of the seizures; if prosecutions resulted from the detections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46585/19]

I am advised by Revenue that the number of seizures of drugs going through the postal services in the years 2016 – 2018 and to-date in 2019 (*31/10/19), the volume and the value of those seizures is as set out in the following table:

I am assured by Revenue that combating the smuggling/importation of controlled drugs into this jurisdiction is, and will continue to be, a priority. Revenue's work against drugs crime is extensive and multifaceted and is kept under constant review to ensure that it makes the most effective contribution possible to dealing with this societal problem, in the overall framework of the Government’s National Drugs Strategy 2017-2025.

I am advised also that prosecutions for offences in relation to controlled drugs are, by agreement, between Revenue and An Garda Síochána, undertaken by An Garda Síochána.