Waterford Sinn Féin TD Conor McGuinness has called for stronger European cooperation to pursue the leaders of criminal gangs directing drug trafficking, intimidation and violence in Ireland from abroad.

Speaking in the Dáil during a debate on EU justice measures, Deputy McGuinness raised the impact of these gangs on families and communities and called on Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan to strengthen coordination between European countries.

“Drug gangs do not respect borders. Those directing the drugs trade, orchestrating intimidation and ordering violence in communities across Ireland may be based in another EU member state.

“We need effective intelligence-sharing between police forces and judicial authorities. No EU member state should be a safe haven for those who direct criminal activity in Ireland from abroad.

“We must target those at the top of these organisations: the people who direct, oversee and profit from this criminality. It is not enough to arrest those carrying out orders on the ground while the people giving those orders remain beyond our reach.

“That means working together to share evidence, pursue prosecutions and seize criminal assets. We must strip these gangs of the money and resources that allow them to operate, wherever they are based.”

Deputy McGuinness said Minister O’Callaghan agreed on the importance of effective cooperation and highlighted the need for coordination and practical alignment across Europe.

He said this cooperation must deliver tangible results for communities affected by drug crime and intimidation.

“We need European cooperation that works in practice: intelligence shared effectively, investigations coordinated across jurisdictions, criminal assets seized and those directing these gangs held accountable.”