Drug dealers are switching to stealing computer components because they are easier to transport and can be just as profitable, a senior Garda has said.

In addition, the stigma attached to being a drug dealer did not apply to theft, he said.

Det Chief Supt Sean Camon, from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigations, yesterday told a Dublin conference on the theft of computer components by organised criminals that £20 million (€25.39 million) worth of computer components were stolen in Europe every year.

The Garda set up a unit to deal with the problem in 1997 and its investigations, with the assistance of other police forces, had led to the recovery of £13.5 million worth of stolen computer components in Europe.

Ireland had become the European hub for high-tech manufacturers exporting their goods worldwide, especially to Europe, he said.

More than 40 per cent of PC-packaged software and 60 per cent of business application software sold in Europe were produced in Ireland.

Computer components and software were highly valued by criminals, as they had a high resale value and a huge worldwide market, he said.

"Within 72 hours of being stolen, computer components can be sold three times and the crime transcends a lot of national and international boundaries because the components are small, compact and easily transported," he added.

Up to 200 delegates, including police officers from other EU states, attended yesterday's event. It was organised by the Garda and the Irish Electronic Security Forum, which comprises security managers of 21 computer companies including Intel, IBM and Seagate Technology.

Mr Jonathan Sweet, a European Commission official with the Justice and Home Affairs directorate general, outlined measures the EU was taking to combat such theft. He said a convention agreed this year would improve co-operation between law enforcement agencies. It will allow for the setting up of joint teams from different member states to pursue investigations into cross-border organised crime, including trafficking of drugs and people, money laundering and theft of computer components.

Mr Tom O'Sullivan, the chairman of the Irish Electronic Security Forum, said up to £3 million worth of Irish-made computer products were stolen while in transit on the Continent in 1999.

To date this year no Irish-made products had been stolen, he added. He said lorries were often hi-jacked in transport hubs in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Italy.