Simon Harris: 'Direct link' between snorting cocaine at the weekend and murder

'Those using drugs are helping to line the pockets of criminals who are inflicting misery across our country,' Simon Harris said.

There is a direct link between “snorting a line or taking a pill” at the weekend and murder, assault, and criminality the following week, Justice Minister Simon Harris has said.

Mr Harris made the comments in the Dáil on Thursday in response to Fianna Fáil TD Brendan Smith who asked if additional measures would be implemented both locally and nationally to deal with “what is an epidemic at the present time.” 

Mr Smith said the issue needs to be addressed with “the utmost urgency,” and told how he recently listened to a mother who lost her son and her husband due to the role that drugs played in their deaths.

The Cavan-Monaghan TD said more awareness campaigns are needed around drugs and not just for teenagers or young adults, “because we hear of the prevalence of drugs in places we never thought they would be present”.

Criminality

In response, Mr Harris said drug use on a Friday or Saturday night is funding and supporting violence, crime, and murder the next week.

 Simon Harris: 'We need to get real about this. Drug use is not victimless, far from it.'

“There is a direct link between snorting a line or taking a pill and murder, assault, criminality, and misery,” Mr Harris told the Dáil.

“Those using drugs are helping to line the pockets of criminals who are inflicting misery and pain in communities across our country.

“We need to get real about this. Drug use is not victimless, far from it.

“I recently met senior gardaí to discuss this specific point. They made it clear that all night time venues and social premises need to be very aware of the law and their responsibilities and that there are and will continue to be garda operations to ensure that the law is upheld right across this country.” 

Mr Harris said he was “very concerned” about the growing social acceptance of drug taking in Ireland and said he was not talking about those struggling with drug addiction who instead needed a “health-led approach”.

“There’s another type of drug use we’ve got to start talking about in this country ... What I’m talking about is the increasing prevalence and often visibility of drug taking as part of a night out in Ireland,” Mr Harris said.

He said there are people who go out for a pint and “accompany” their drink with drugs and this needs to be called out.

Mr Harris said the Garda Commissioner has tasked an inspector in every Garda division to respond to the issue of drug-related intimidation.

He said the Government is committed to taking a number of direct actions to support An Garda Síochána in tackling drugs. These include increasing the maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder from ten years to life in prison to tackle those who direct gangland and drug-related crime, and introducing new legislation, just published, which will criminalise the grooming of children into a life of crime.

He said the aim is to tackle the attempts by criminal gangs to glamorise gangland activity and expose it for what it is.