In Europol's first-ever organised crime threat assessment (OCTA), the force noted that the trafficking of people across borders is primarily for sexual exploitation and is linked in a complex manner to document counterfeiting. Gangs involved in the trafficking of women and children . . . a process that involves sexual abuse and rape of coerced women in many cases . . .

are also heavily involved in drug trafficking and counterfeiting.

The Europol report is made up of submissions from all police forces in the EU area, including the gardai, as well as academic experts, private security agencies and law-enforcement agencies in the US, Canada and South America.

The Director of Europol, MaxPeter Ratzel, says in the report that OCTA studies would in future prove essential in counteracting the anticipated threat posed by organised crime, particularly in light of challenges related to accession.

Indicating that Ireland's organised crime groups (OC) are less dangerous than comparative mafioso-style groups in other jurisdictions, the 27-page report makes brief mention of Irish OCs, noting that the geographical proximity of Ireland to the UK facilitates some co-operation between criminals here and across the Irish Sea.

In relation to non-indigenous organised crime gangs operating across Europe, the report says African organised crime groups are primarily based in Spain, France and Belgium. "The only exception is represented by Nigerian groups, which are spread throughout the EU, keeping a low-profile strategy, " it said.

Chinese organised crime groups remain "embedded" within their own communities in the EU area.

"They [Chinese OC] facilitate illegal immigration and exert systematic exploitation of human beings for labour and sexual purposes. They are also involved in commodity smuggling into the EU."

Meanwhile, the United Nations' World Drug Report 2005 places Ireland in joint third place, out of 30 European countries, for cocaine use and in joint sixth place for ecstasy use. Another recent survey indicated that 37% of Irish 15- to 16-year-olds had used cannabis, three times the average exposure to cannabis of teenagers in the same age range in other EU countries.

Some 54% of 15- to 16-year-olds in Ireland also said it was either 'very easy' or 'fairly easy' to buy ecstasy.