Cocaine use is spiralling out of control in Drogheda with drug related intimidation worse than ever - leading to fears of another deadly feud in the town.
Children as young as 12 are smoking cannabis while teens as young as 16 are taking cocaine as the Co Louth town - which hit the headlines between 2018 and 2020 as a result of a deadly feud there - is awash with illegal substances.
Families are left terrified as home windows are being smashed, threatening phone calls are being made, houses are being petrol bombed as a new breed of young drug dealers have upped the drug debt intimidation.
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These young drug dealers have seen a gap in the market as associates of paralysed mob boss Owen Maguire who were at war with the Anti-Maguire faction during the town’s feud have either gone overseas or are behind bars.
That feud claimed the lives of four people including 17-year-old Keane Mulready-Woods who was murdered and dismembered by slain serial killer Robbie Lawlor in January 2020. Four months later Lawlor was shot dead outside a house in Belfast.
Speaking exclusively to The Irish Mirror, local Councillor Pio Smith said “There’s a steady supply of drugs coming into the town, more than there ever was.”
“The town is awash with coke and weed and every other drug and it's nearly as acceptable as going for a pint or having a cigarette. That’s the reality of it,” he said.
He said he fears the intimidation associated with drug debts as well as the huge increase in cocaine and weed “is only going one way - back to where the town was during the feud.”
“There are a lot of younger dealers coming through. They are not as organised as the main players in the feud were but there is a steady supply of drugs coming into the town. They are outside secondary schools targeting young people.
“And the inability to retain experienced gardai and get new gardai in, it’s only going to go one way in the next three to five years - back to where we were in 2018 to 2020.”
He praised the gardai for their tremendous work done over the past five years in dismantling the main drug gangs in the town.
“I have to say the gardai have done a tremendous amount of work over the last three to five years dismantling the feuding drugs gangs,” he said.
“But my fear is the resources are not there and there’s a bigger area that the gardai have to police from January onwards which is from Ardee right back into Laytown and Bettystown.”
He said there is a rise in innocent family members such as grandparents being threatened to pay the drug debts of their relatives.
“Some end up paying the debt but then the gang comes back wanting more money, a tax, and then threatens to smash their windows in or petrol bomb their homes.
“They give them more money but they come back and smash the windows in. It’s a vicious circle,” a horrified Cllr Smith told us.
“Some people are out of their homes for three or four weeks because of the damage done and are afraid of their lives to go back and women seem to be getting the brunt of the threats,” he added.
“And the gardai can’t do a lot unless these people, who are in fear of their lives, testify against these dealers and more than likely they won’t testify because of the fear they are in.”
Cllr Smith is now calling on more resources to be put into the town as changes due to take place in 2024 to the Garda Divisions Drogheda Garda Station will be covering the Ardee areas as well as Laytown and Bettystown - covering a population of nearly 100,000.
“There aren't enough resources to police the new division. There are only two cars available and only three new gardai coming in. I’m calling on the Oireachtas members to get on top of this.”
He is also calling for legislation to change so those in fear of their lives of the drugs gang don’t have to testify against them.
“This is not just in Drogheda. This is countrywide,” he said.
“We have to strengthen the legislation and level the playing field so that victims feel they are going to get some kind of justice.
“Gardai have very good knowledge and intelligence in regards to who is doing this type of stuff. I don’t understand why the Garda Chief Superintendent can’t come along and say as much as they can that a certain individual is doing this and they should be taken off the streets,” he said.
He also said there needs to be a joint-policy initiative developed between An Garda Siochana and Louth County Council to help the victims.
“I believe this should include prioritising council tenants who find themselves in this situation on the transfer list.
“Also if a council tenant is convicted of drug debt intimidation then they should lose their right to social housing,” he said.
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