A “quite frightening” number of children as young as seven are being used as drug mules in County Louth, a local TD has warned. 

Fine Gael’s Paula Butterly said she visited three schools in her constituency before Christmas and was shocked by what she learnt from local teachers. 

 “Some of their children, right down to the age of seven, are coming into the classrooms high,” she told The Pat Kenny Show. 

“Now, if that wasn't shocking enough, they then went on to tell me about incidents where the children are actually being used as mules and they're being groomed by other children - well technically teenagers - and it's absolutely shocking.”

Deputy Butterly added that the children in question come from homes which are afflicted by addiction. 

“In a lot of cases, the mothers in particular because perhaps the fathers aren't present, they are afflicted by addiction themselves,” she explained. 

“The teachers have tried to intervene with the families, help them along, but you know they can't do everything and they shouldn't be expected to.”

Suspected cannabis herb seized by Gardaí. Picture by: An Garda Síochána.

Deputy Butterly continued that the statistics relating to child exploitation by children in the drug trade are “quite frightening”.

She added that youth diversion schemes tend to focus on children from 12 upward and urged the Government to consider widening the scope to those in primary school. 

“We have a project there called the Green Town project, which is in Limerick, and I brought that to Minister O'Callaghan before Christmas,” she said. 

“It has had huge success in tackling the issue of child exploitation and criminal networks; I would like to see that rolled out in Drogheda.

“I would also like it rolled out at a national level because whatever is happening in Drogheda is happening in other towns.” 

Main image: A child in the street. Picture by: Steven Gill / Alamy