Ulster Unionist Member of Parliament for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Tom Elliott has called on the Secretary of State to engage the National Crime Agency in dealing with paramilitary organised crime. He made the call following a statement on the current political situation in Northern Ireland by the Secretary of State in the House of Commons.
Mr Elliott said:
“Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs have brought forward very few convictions regarding organised criminality and it is clear that an effective course of action by the Secretary of State is required. In the House of Commons I pressed the Secretary of State to engage the National Crime Agency to effectively deal with international criminality as operated by paramilitaries. Fuel laundering, tobacco and alcohol smuggling, and all other connected criminality, is a blight on society in Northern Ireland.
“These criminal operations are not solely affecting Northern Ireland, but also the Irish Republic, and on many occasions are originating south of the border. Paramilitary criminality is an international problem, and requires action from the Irish Republic’s security forces. The Gardai Siochana cannot be let off the hook; they need to actively engage along with the National Crime Agency to remove paramilitary crime from our society.
“These concerns were also raised directly with the Irish Government this week by my Party and we will continue to press this issue over the coming weeks.”