Drug-debt intimidation 'not like owing a bank manager money' 

Drug-debt intimidation has proliferated since Ireland's cocaine use exploded, with users forced to work as dealers to clear debts

Last year, cocaine accounted for one in three of the 12,009 cases treated for problem drug use, ahead of opioids, cannabis, and benzodiazepines. Picture: An Garda Síochána

A chance red light gave John the split-second chance to jump out of the car he had been bundled into by three drug-debt enforcers armed with a hammer and crowbar.

He had been grabbed as he walked down the street, shoved into the car, and told by the driver, who was holding a hammer, that he’d “get it”.

He ran for his life and jumped into another car when they stopped at the traffic lights, and begged for a lift.

He owed some €30,000 after his cocaine use spiralled out of control and into addiction.

John, whose identity has been protected, said that four days later, he entered an agreement to sell drugs for his dealer to clear his debts.

The debt was doubled but three years later, he was free.

“I still get shivers thinking about it,” said John, who has been drug-free for three years.

“They will use violence. They threatened to go to my workplace. A lot of time when people are in debt they’re afraid to face up to it. I ran and they started to target members of my family. With social media they can easily find your family. It’s carnage.

I know of cases where family members have been seriously harmed, bones broken, nothing short of beaten to a pulp, their homes ransacked. It’s a horrible, frightening world.

“It’s not like owing the bank manager money. The bank manager is not going to come to your home with a gun or a hammer. And on top of it all, you’re trying to deal with addiction.” 

Addiction counsellor Michael Guerin said a €5,000 debt can double to €10,000 in a week if someone is unable to pay immediately, with users selling or carrying drugs to pay debts. Picture: Brian Arthur

Drug-addiction counsellor Michael Guerin, who John credits with saving his life, said that drug-debt intimidation has proliferated since cocaine use exploded in Ireland. This country uses the most cocaine in the EU, according to the European Drug Report 2023.

Some 4.8% of people aged 15-34 who were surveyed reported using cocaine, the study found.

The latest Health Research Board (HRB) report found that cocaine has overtaken heroin and other opioids to become Ireland’s most common problem drug. Last year, cocaine accounted for one in three of the 12,009 cases treated for problem drug use, ahead of opioids, cannabis, and benzodiazepines.

A recent United Nations report found that people in Ireland were the fourth- highest consumers of cocaine globally, with 2.4% reporting using cocaine in the previous year.

Mr Guerin said that drug-related intimidation is hugely common. “It’s unusual to see someone with a drug dependence accessing treatment without a drug debt issue,” he said.

Debts can escalate quickly. As there are no rules, a €5,000 debt can double to a €10,000 debt in a week if someone is unable to immediately pay.

Selling drugs is often the only way people can afford their own drug habit and it can be used as a way to pay off debts.

“That might be as simple as selling drugs onto other end users, or it might be as complex as being told you have to move something from A to B, which is very high risk because the street values go off the scale. €11.4m was seized in Rosslare the other day.

You might be called to carry a suitcase from Kent Station in Cork to Heuston. But there could be anything in that suitcase and if you were found in the possession of it you could spend a very long time in jail. So it’s high risk.

David Lane, social inclusion specialist for HSE Cork/Kerry and co-ordinator of Drug and Alcohol Services for Cork and Kerry, said the HSE recently recruited someone for a new role specifically to deal with drug-related intimidation in the region and to support people in addiction treatment.

Four designated Garda inspectors work in drug-related intimidation across Cork and Kerry and the HSE works closely with Garda partners on the issue, he said.

Detective Superintendent Sé McCormack of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau said drug-related intimidation now impacts all communities and all demographics in Ireland.

“It is a challenge to the very authority and legitimacy of the State, which can be and must be confronted,” he said.

Detective Superintendent Sé McCormack of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau said drug-related intimidation is "a challenge to the very authority and legitimacy of the State'. Picture: Moya Nolan

Ireland is now a “significant player” in the €30bn European market, he said.

Ireland’s Drug Related Intimidation Programme was established in 2009/2010 by the GNDOCB and the National Family Support Network under the National Drug Strategy 2009-2016 to respond to the needs of drug users and family members experiencing drug- related intimidation.

Some 30 inspectors work with the programme nationally, with at least one nominated in each Garda division, Det Supt McCormack said. The service is confidential and provides advice to victims of drug-related intimidation.

A programme review in 2018 by Dr Orla Dempsey found that in 94% of informal referrals, no Garda complaint was made. Just 6% led to a formal Garda complaint.

Some 60 Garda members have been trained in National Drug Strategy training sessions to address the issue, and 600 Garda students have received drug-related intimidation training.

Limited resources are a challenge for the unit, as is the increasing normalisation of drug use, Det Supt McCormack said.

An interagency programme to support communities and educate about drug-related intimidation is called Drive (Drug Related Intimidation & Violence Engagement) and has been established to provide training for services and support to victims, he added.

“People don’t often talk about it due to guilt, shame, embarrassment, stigma,” he said.