Cocaine is the most apprehended drug on Galway streets

At the meeting of Galway’s Joint Policing Committee (JPC) yesterday, gardaí revealed that cocaine was the most apprehended drug in Galway in 2023. 

Gardaí presented the JPC annual report for 2023, which was also the year with the most drug apprehensions in Galway on record. Of these incidents, gardaí reported 337 seizures of cocaine on Galway streets, including 266 for personal use and 111 for sale and supply. 

“The European market for cocaine is surpassing the American market,” said Chief Superintendent Gerry Roach. Since 2018, cocaine’s popularity has soared across Ireland.

The rise of cocaine

Ireland is the joint-fourth highest consumer of cocaine in the world according to a UN report published last year. Between 2021 and 2022, cocaine usage rates spiked 50% in Galway according to gardaí. 

The latest Irish National Drug and Alcohol Survey reported a six-fold increase in cocaine usage by women aged 15 to 24 over the last five years. Its popularity is also rising amongst athletes, according to the report. 

In Galway, cocaine is as easy to get as a pizza according to Headford Councilor Andrew Reddington. Gardaí attribute cocaine’s rising popularity to the rising cost of alcohol in comparison to the drug.

Pathway to Galway

South American organised crime groups “see Ireland as a target,” said Chief Garda Commissioner Drew Harris at the cross border police conference on organised and serious crime held in Co Cavan on Wednesday. 

“South American cartels are working to move their product over here,” said Chief Roach. 

Several major seizures of vessels carrying cocaine have been made over the last few months, which gardaí say can be traced back to South America. 

On September 26 of last year, officials conducted the largest drug bust in Irish history, seizing 2,253kg of cocaine from the MV Matthew–a Panamanian-registered cargo ship–off the coast of Cork. 

“When it comes to South American cartels, it’s important to understand that trafficking is done more by networks than hierarchical cartels,” said Douwe Den Held, researcher at Insight Crime and cocaine trade expert.

He explained that different groups operate different stages of the process that bring cocaine from South America to Europe. Rather than one overarching cartel, networks will coordinate through the phases of coca cultivation, production, transport, and the eventual distribution on the ground in a place like Ireland. 

“Based on the kinds of seizures, you can see that Ireland is a destination hub,” he added. 

The cocaine that arrives in Ireland is being consumed there, not transported elsewhere according to Mr Den Held. “Yes, we have seen an increase in seizures in Ireland, but overall the numbers are not as high as other European countries like the Netherlands and Spain,” he said. 

He explained that in these network structures, once the cocaine arrives in Ireland, Irish organised crime groups take over, dealing with the distribution and sale of the drug. 

Taking action

Once the cocaine arrives in communities, like in Galway, violence tends to follow, say gardaí. 

Chief Roach expressed another major concern during the JPC meeting: intimidation. In several cases, drug dealers in Galway allowed customers to purchase large amounts of cocaine on credit. When customers could not pay, they faced threats and intimidation.

In the meeting, Chief Roach shared that gardaí appointed an officer to deal with issues of intimidation and set up a helpline for those in trouble. The hope is specifically to help young people and “encourage anyone that finds themselves in that position to come forward,” he said. 

Beyond the helpline, gardaí launched new initiatives to tackle organised crime and respond to the growing presence of cocaine in the city and county. In Galway, gardaí are currently engaged in five ongoing investigations into organised crime. The aim of the investigations is to target suppliers and dealers of drugs like cocaine. 

“There has been an enormous rise of people coming before the court for sale and supply of drugs,” said Chief Roach.  

“The problem is broad,” he said. “We’re making progress, but we’ve only just scratched the surface.”