Irish Examiner view: Shining a light on Irish drug-trade growth

The management of illicit substances is a challenge for Ireland which is no less serious than tackling climate change

'Dublin Narcos' can make a useful contribution to the national drugs debate.

For contemporary historians, Sky TV’s three-part documentary 'Dublin Narcos' had much to commend it, with a clear exposition of the explosive growth of the drug trade, which shows Ireland in a way which more resembles a Latin American republic than a leading member of the EU.

Grainy archive footage carried some heart-aching scenes of early community attempts to ostracise heroin dealers establishing footholds in their neighbourhoods, carrying with them the dangers of vigilante violence, which can accompany loss of confidence in the police services.

It was instructive in explaining how a proliferating ecstasy and rave culture took drug use across classes, opening the way for the widespread arrival of cocaine on these shores.

Undercover squad

It was diverting, also, to be guided through the series by the one-time Garda commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan, displaying a lively sense of humour, and recounting her experiences as a “mockey” (mock addict) in the original undercover squad set up to take on the crime gangs of the nascent industry.

Dublin Narcos draws up short in its narrative, concluding with the murder of Veronica Guerin in 1996. As we all know, this is but half of the story and it seems inevitable that a second series must fill that gap. 

This will be a useful contribution to the national debate. The subtext of much of the series so far concerns the arguments for drug-law reform, which this country is obligated to face through a Citizens’ Assembly.

The management of illicit substances is a challenge to Ireland no less serious than climate change.

 “What if you never come down?” asks Jarvis Cocker in ‘Sorted for E’s & Wizz’, the 1995 Pulp song which formed part of the soundtrack for Dublin Narcos. It’s a good question. We need to find an answer.