'Intelligence' and organised crime

According To Dermot Ahern, the new Minister for Justice, he is reliably informed (presumably by Garda “intelligence”) that there are two categories of organised crime groups operating in Ireland.

One is organised crime gangs, involved in the same businesses of organised crime gangs everywhere in the world: drugs and robberies.

And then there is a second category of organised crime, that involving  less organised crime gangs engaged in drugs and robberies.

A further revealing piece of information Dermot Ahern disclosed recently about organised crime is that: “Membership of organised gangs tends to be fluid and the nature of criminal activity is such that offences committed by members of gangs may or may not be connected with the individual's membership of such gangs.” This essentially means that neither he nor Garda “intelligence” have a clue.

The new Minister for Justice has given the assurance: “An Garda Síochána will continue to use all available means to ensure that those engaged in criminal activities are brought before the Courts regardless of the location from which they operate.”