Criminals caught using children to move drugs and cash need to face a maximum sentence of 10 years, Sinn Fein have said.
The Cabinet approved a Bill that allows for a maximum sentence of five years for those using a minor to conduct criminality on their behalf yesterday. Children as young as 12 are groomed by gangs across the city and are often used to transport drugs or cash.
The kids are typically from an impoverished area and see it as a way of getting out of poverty. When the kids are caught by the gardai and the drugs or cash is confiscated, the parents are targeted by the gangs to foot the bill.
