More than 1,700 incidents of drug-related intimidation recorded in past four years

Incidents include criminal damage, extortion, arson, and threats to kill, Garda figures show

The Garda drug-related intimidation programme shows middle-aged people, between 45-54 years old, are the single biggest victims, indicating they could be parents threatened over debts owed by their children. File picture: Leah Farrell /  RollingNews.ie

There have been 1,750 recorded incidents of drug-related intimidation, including threats to kill, assaults and arson attacks since 2020, Garda figures show.

The figures may only be the tip of the iceberg and a new system is being brought in which could add "thousands" to the totals. Instances of intimidation have also been steadily increasing.

An estimated 840 people have been identified as carrying out drug-related intimidation — 800 of them men and most aged between 18 and 24.

The Garda drug-related intimidation programme shows middle-aged people, between 45-54 years old, are the single biggest victims, indicating they could be parents threatened over debts owed by their children.

The incidents are believed to be a “fraction” of the total number of cases, as many people are afraid to seek help from gardaí in case of retribution.

A new data system, part of a wider inter-agency programme called Drive (Drug-Related Intimidation and Violence Engagement), is expected to come on stream next year and is likely to add “thousands" of incidents to existing figures.

Information from the Garda system shows a steady rise in incidents in recent years — from just under 170 in 2020 to a peak of more than 550 in 2023, with almost 230 in the first half of 2024.

Figures show:

• 28% (490) of drug-related intimidation incidents involved criminal damage — such as cars and homes;
• 22% (385) took the form of blackmail and extortion;
• 10% (175) involved threats to kill;
• 6% [105] were assaults on the victims;
• 4% (70) were arson attacks on people’s homes.

“There are different crimes that can be committed to intimidate, but drug-related intimidation is not itself a criminal offence,” a Garda source said. “So we need to establish the motive in order to say X incident is drug-related intimidation.” 

The figures show 45 to 54-year-olds suffered the most intimidation (24%), followed by those aged 35-44 (21%) and 18 to 34-year-olds (18%).

Those aged over 65 accounted for 5% of victims, which sources said could reflect the impact on grandparents caring for grandchildren, in the absence of parents caught up in addiction or who are deceased.

The figures show almost a sixth (17%) of victims were victims more than once.

“That’s the danger of giving money — they will keep coming back,” a source said.

It's widely accepted the Garda drug-related intimidation programme while crucial for those who use it, is not recording most incidents, which is why Drive was set up.

“DRI [drug-related intimidation] is totally underreported,” a system source said. “Drive is inter-agency and there are local coordinators gathering information. It is data-driven, so it should be much more accurate. It could see thousands added — both victims and offenders.” 

It is expected to more accurately reflect the extent to which perpetrators of drug-related intimidation may also be victims. The current system suggests about 3% of the 840 offenders are victims, but sources expect this to be “a lot higher”.

There has been some concern around funding for Drive, but, in a statement, the Department of Health said €250,000 was provided in 2023 and this amount was “recurring per year”, with the same funding level for 2024 and 2025.