Drug dealers in rural areas are now making more money by “intimidating families” than by selling the drugs themselves, an investigation by Irish Country Living has found. 

Journalist Jacqueline Hogge said the level of drug use in rural Ireland is now at “quite shocking” levels. 

She added that one HSE addiction counsellor, Joe Tracey, described it as at “epidemic levels” in many places. 

As part of her investigation, Ms Hoge attended a meeting of Craughwell GAA Club, whose members are increasingly concerned about drug use within their community. 

“They organised an event last week where they had a Garda Sergeant, who's a crime prevention officer for County Galway, Olivia Fleming,” she recalled on Breakfast Briefing. 

“It was her comments that really struck home that this is something that's targeting families of all backgrounds. 

“She actually stated that the money being generated from intimidating families by these dealers is actually more lucrative than the drugs they're selling themselves.” 

Drugs seized by Gardaí. Image: An Garda Síochána

Ms Hoge continued that drug dealers turn up at the homes of those who do not pay perceived debts and demand their families pay up. In many cases, the families do exactly that. 

“There still is such stigma and shame regarding drug use in rural Ireland that these families are, as the report says, selling cattle, selling other assets to try and raise money to keep these people from their front doors,” she explained. 

“The problem is once that first payment is made, these gangs are coming back. So, this is where the money is being generated.” 

In some cases, drug dealers go to extraordinary efforts to locate victims and extort money out of them. 

“[One woman] got into such a situation that the dealers she was involved with put a message up on Snapchat,” Ms Hoge said. 

“They actually put her photograph up on Snapchat looking for her home address and offering €500 cash. 

“This ultimately led to masked men surrounding her home house and demanding €10,000 from her parents.”

Ms Hogge said such experiences were “very frightening and quite chilling for parents out there”. 

She added that cocaine especially has become “absolutely rampant” in rural Ireland in recent years. 

“I actually heard a story yesterday of a lady who was in a bar in rural Ireland, in the last week, who overheard a conversation between two young men who were wondering where they might get cocaine,” she recalled. 

“A third person, totally unrelated, heard the conversation and offered to make a phone call.”

Main image: Cocaine and a cow. Pictures by: Pixaby and Alamy.com.