Speeches by Kearns.

“Thank you. Rob, looking at drugs specifically, you mentioned cocaine with increased purity. Where is that coming from upstream? Does Ireland have a very specific passageway and routes that we are seeing that are different? What are the other drugs that we are also seeing?”

“Is it always Colombia? Is it Venezuela? Where is it from?”

“I know what GB means. Where are the people who are being trafficked across the CTA coming from before they come to Ireland, or where are they coming from within Ireland?”

“Where are those routes coming from: outside Ireland or within Ireland? Where are people being smuggled from to Ireland? What are the main source countries?”

“Thank you. Rob, looking at drugs specifically, you mentioned cocaine with increased purity. Where is that coming from upstream? Does Ireland have a very specific passageway and routes that we are seeing that are different? What are the other drugs that we are also seeing?”

“It would be really helpful to get your assessment, because things have bedded down quite significantly since then. Obviously, the pandemic had a significant impact in many ways on the ability to police. Can I pick up on the question of judging the nature, and the emerging trends, of what you are seeing across the borde…”

“I know what GB means. Where are the people who are being trafficked across the CTA coming from before they come to Ireland, or where are they coming from within Ireland?”

“Within themselves.”

“As things were initially settling down?”

“In terms of the ethnicity or descent of the organised crime groups, if we take paramilitary techniques we try and remove them, is there a certain percentage of organised crime groups operating across the border who are, for example, of a completely descent—not Irish, UK or English?”

“Rob, you said there has been no spike in CTA abuse and obviously these long-term routes. In terms of cross-border criminality, what percentage would you say is paramilitary versus organised crime groups—or is it just too blurred for you to segregate significantly?”

“Where are those routes coming from: outside Ireland or within Ireland? Where are people being smuggled from to Ireland? What are the main source countries?”

“You mentioned that drugs are common across the area. What type of drugs does your research show are involved? Is it cocaine? Is it Captagon? What sort of thing are we seeing?”

“Are those primarily Irish nationals, or are they people being trafficked from elsewhere into Ireland as an easy way to get them into the UK?”

“Going back to the conversation about nature, actors and trends. We have heard that there has been no particular spike, so volume is not particularly relevant. Gordon and Rob, in terms of people smuggling, would you agree with the evidence that we heard earlier that we are seeing people being trafficked mainly for sexua…”

“It would be really helpful to get your assessment, because things have bedded down quite significantly since then. Obviously, the pandemic had a significant impact in many ways on the ability to police. Can I pick up on the question of judging the nature, and the emerging trends, of what you are seeing across the borde…”

“Within themselves.”

“Going back to the conversation about nature, actors and trends. We have heard that there has been no particular spike, so volume is not particularly relevant. Gordon and Rob, in terms of people smuggling, would you agree with the evidence that we heard earlier that we are seeing people being trafficked mainly for sexua…”

“As things were initially settling down?”

“So the recommendation for a UK-Ireland joint co-ordination hub is based on evidence from Scotland rather than from Northern Ireland?”