Age of drug runners in Dublin drops to 12 years

The Blanchardstown Local Drugs and Alcohol Task Force's report said that the age of drug users who are not in treatment is getting younger. Picture: iStock

The age of drug runners in a sprawling Dublin suburb is getting younger, with the average age now 12, according to a new study.

The Blanchardstown Local Drugs and Alcohol Task Force also documents a growing number of young people under the age of 18 dealing in drugs.

The task force attributes this, in part, to the “normalisation” of drug and alcohol use, with many people seeing them as widely used, risk-free, and socially acceptable.

The task force’s Drug and Alcohol Trends Monitoring System 2022 report also said that the age of drug users who are not in treatment is getting younger.

Among both treated and untreated drug users, there was an increase in use of alcohol, cannabis herb, cocaine, and benzodiazepines (anti-anxiety tablets).

The research, conducted by Janet Robinson and Jim Doherty, also identifies a rise in use of ketamine, nitrous oxide, ecstasy, and cannabis edibles in recent years.

The researchers interviewed 76 people locally, including 26 service providers, 23 treated drug users, 10 untreated drug users, 10 young people, five family members, and two community members.

The 2022 report, the seventh year of the research, examined, for the first time, the “hidden harm” on children due to parental drug and alcohol use.

It found prevalence rates of between 15% and 24% in relation to illicit drug use and between 14% and 37% for alcohol dependency.

The study said drug use was present across the Dublin 15 postcode, which has a wide socio-economic profile, from affluent to disadvantaged areas.

It said cocaine use had increased, with participants reporting drug dealers “targeting construction sites”.

Sources of drugs

While local dealers and friends are the main sources of drugs, use of social media to obtain drugs "has increased", with TikTok and Telegram mentioned.

It said there has been “an increase in the number of under 18s dealing drugs” and that “drug runners have become younger”.

The normal age of drug runners has dropped from 13 in 2017 to 12 in 2021, with the youngest drug runner in 2021 aged 10.

But it notes a rise in the normal age of drug dealers, from 14 to 16 in the same time period, with the youngest dealers in 2021 aged 12.

While boys dominate, girls aged from 12 up are also engaging as runners and dealers.

“The desire to increase social status is an important driver of drug dealing behaviour and to make ‘easy money’,” the report said.

It said there was a likely link between increasing levels of drug debt intimidation and under-18s dealing and running to pay off debts.

It said the normalisation of drug use “may influence” a young person’s decision to get involved and that family involvement in dealing was also a factor.

The report said treatment episodes in the area for mental health and behavioural disorders due to drug and alcohol use rose from 169 cases in 2012 to 430 in 2021.