#Drugs Crisis

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

Garda inscription on a police jacket from Ireland
Drug searches in Ireland fall by 7,000 amid garda staffing crisis
Drug searches fell by 15% last year, with garda unions warning of staff shortages and 1,900 possible retirements by 2028

Thu, 31 Jul, 2025

Courts of Criminal Justice, Dublin
Five men jailed for roles in 'cruel and sadistic' torture of woman over false accusation
The sentencing judge said the offending 'demonstrates the evils associated with the drugs trade' and its wider criminal associations

Wed, 30 Jul, 2025

Medical Marijuana Edibles, Candies Infused with CBD HHC or THC Cannabis in food industry
Ireland finally bans HHC 'but we must be vigilant about new drugs’
HHC, widely available to children as vapes and edibles, has been linked to serious medical episodes and psychosis here in Ireland

Wed, 30 Jul, 2025

HHC added to list of illegal drugs in Ireland by health minister
HHC added to list of illegal drugs in Ireland by health minister
The import, export, production, possession, sale, or supply of products containing HHC is now illegal.

Tue, 29 Jul, 2025

Despair
Diversion scheme for those caught in possession of drugs to be in place by November
Health intervention to operate on discretion of gardaĂ­

Tue, 29 Jul, 2025

Oberstown Campus
Cork teenager who threatened to kill woman told by judge to sort out his drug and anger issues
Judge Carroll told the youth that he has great potential but she said: 'You need structure, you need routine.'

Mon, 28 Jul, 2025

Man arrested after cannabis worth €2.1m seized in Cork
Man arrested after cannabis worth €2.1m seized in Cork
Revenue officers seized 107kgs of herbal cannabis at the Port of Cork on Sunday with the help of detector dog Rua

Mon, 28 Jul, 2025

Courts of Criminal Justice, Dublin
Woman will never forgive the 'sick human beings' who tortured her over false accusation
The woman was left with a broken eye socket, broken cheekbone, broken nasal bone, broken elbow, burns, dislocated teeth, bruising and lacerations

Fri, 25 Jul, 2025

Number of festivals to have HSE's harm reduction initiative is halved ahead of drugs strategy review
Number of festivals to have HSE's harm reduction initiative is halved ahead of drugs strategy review
HSE says it can't expand its Safer Nightlife Programme in its 'current format' and hopes for a policy change

Fri, 25 Jul, 2025

Man in prison hands of behind hold Steel cage jail bars. offender criminal locked in jail.
Prisons turned into 'human warehouses' by chronic overcrowding — Council of Europe inspectors
Overcrowding, violence — and a mentally-ill female prisoner who 'had not had access to a shower for four days' — among issues raised by the Council of Europe Committee on the Prevention of Torture 

Thu, 24 Jul, 2025

Cannabis ready to roll
Man convicted for possession of drugs is 'at a crossroads', says judge
Kyle Fahy admitted to the possession of cannabis at his residence on November 7, 2024, and to the possession of cannabis and cocaine on January 12, 2025

Wed, 23 Jul, 2025

'I'm not taking the blame for any of this': Court hears of 'narco boat' in failed smuggling operation
'I'm not taking the blame for any of this': Court hears of 'narco boat' in failed smuggling operation
GardaĂ­ believe that the rigid inflatable boat left Tragumna on March 12, 2024, in a failed bid to meet the Cool Explorer to pick up some 850kg of cocaine while at sea

Wed, 23 Jul, 2025

drug syringe and cooked heroin on spoon. drug addict problem and therapy concept
Community collaboration is 'critical' to drug strategy success, report says
Funding and staffing constraints affecting local projects, evaluation states

Tue, 22 Jul, 2025

Heroin in Kerry: 'They want to pretend it's not happening' 
Heroin in Kerry: 'They want to pretend it's not happening' 
Sarah Horgan talks to a recovering addict, a local resident, and health professionals — including a needle exchange worker who says some people are slow to acknowledge the problem

Mon, 21 Jul, 2025

Bags of cocaine from cargo ship had GPS tags, Special Criminal Court hears 
Bags of cocaine from cargo ship had GPS tags, Special Criminal Court hears 
More detail from the conspiracy to import drugs trial will be heard on Tuesday

Mon, 21 Jul, 2025

Cocaine in plastic packet on black background
Man was selling cocaine for well-known Bandon family, court hears
Bandon District Court was told that the accused was 'acting at the behest' of a family from Bandon who were well-known to the court and involved in drug-dealing

Mon, 21 Jul, 2025

drug syringe and cooked heroin on spoon. drug addict problem and therapy concept
'Young people and rural areas let down by lack of drug treatment and prevention services'
Independent evaluation of Government’s drug strategy makes 10 strategic recommendations

Mon, 21 Jul, 2025

drug syringe and cooked heroin on spoon. drug addict problem and therapy concept
Cork woman to be sentenced in October for dealing heroin two years ago
Cork District Court heard that the 35-year-old woman has detoxed completely and accessed services in Limerick Prison

Fri, 18 Jul, 2025

Two arrested after gardaí seize drugs worth over €715,000 in Dublin
Two arrested after gardaí seize drugs worth over €715,000 in Dublin
While on routine patrol in the Rathcoole/City west areas of Dublin, gardaĂ­ stopped a vehicle at around 3:45am

Thu, 17 Jul, 2025

Drug taker
Available, affordable, potent: Ireland is being hit by 'a perfect storm' of cocaine 
A new HRB study links the availability, affordability, and purity of cocaine being trafficked into Ireland with a massive surge in cocaine-related admissions to hospitals

Thu, 17 Jul, 2025

FRANCE-DEMO-DRUG-CANNABIS
Younger people drinking less but smoking more cannabis than older generations
While 70% of older people considered their mental health to be good or very good, this fell to just over half for people aged 18-24

Fri, 11 Jul, 2025

Spanish man pleads guilty to conspiring to smuggle large quantity of drugs into Ireland
Spanish man pleads guilty to conspiring to smuggle large quantity of drugs into Ireland
Accused had been arrested in connection with the Tragumna drugs case in West Cork

Wed, 09 Jul, 2025

Wife of one of 10 men charged in Cork drugs case died of cancer while he was in custody, court told
Wife of one of 10 men charged in Cork drugs case died of cancer while he was in custody, court told
The men were arrested following dramatic garda raids in the West Cork villages of Tragumna and Leap near Skibbereen last year

Mon, 07 Jul, 2025

'Ireland needs military-grade drones to fend off bombardment of drugs by cocaine cartels' 
'Ireland needs military-grade drones to fend off bombardment of drugs by cocaine cartels' 
In the wake of the Broadstrand drugs seizure and convictions following the MV Matthew case, security sources say Ireland must up its game to tackle drug trafficking

Mon, 07 Jul, 2025

Iran, Hezbollah, and the Kinahans in league to bring tonnes of cocaine through Ireland
Iran, Hezbollah, and the Kinahans in league to bring tonnes of cocaine through Ireland
Direct links between Hezbollah and the two Iranians sentenced on Friday for their involvement in a drug trafficking operation on the MV Matthew, are also suspected.

Sun, 06 Jul, 2025

MV Matthew crew were no mere cogs — they played a vital role in cocaine trafficking venture
MV Matthew crew were no mere cogs — they played a vital role in cocaine trafficking venture
Guilty pleas reduced their sentences but the Special Criminal Court found the men were more than mere drugs mules

Sat, 05 Jul, 2025

Cannabis found under Cork man's lawnmower and garden tools was being sold to pay drugs debt
Cannabis found under Cork man's lawnmower and garden tools was being sold to pay drugs debt
The judge decided to suspend a sentence of three years and four months on the Ballycotton man

Fri, 04 Jul, 2025

Eight men jailed for 129 years after record €157m cocaine seizure off Cork coast
Eight men jailed for 129 years after record €157m cocaine seizure off Cork coast
Crew members from five countries were sentenced to a combined 129 years following a dramatic army-led raid on a ship linked to a global drug cartel

Fri, 04 Jul, 2025

Gardaí probe how gang brought fast boat into Ireland after €31m Cork cocaine haul
Gardaí probe how gang brought fast boat into Ireland after €31m Cork cocaine haul
Customs are continuing their deep search on the suspected mothership — a bulk cargo carrier coming from South America — after it docked at its scheduled stop at Cork Port to offload legitimate cargo

Thu, 03 Jul, 2025

Cocaine stock
Taoiseach warns of cocaine 'epidemic' as drug use surges across Ireland
Micheál Martin cites health risks and rising prevalence among youth, following €31m cocaine seizure in Cork

Wed, 02 Jul, 2025

Criminal Courts of Justice
Seven to go on trial for conspiracy to import drugs after arrests in Kerry and Clare
The defendants were arrested on board ships in Kerry and Clare

Tue, 01 Jul, 2025

Half-tonne cocaine haul worth €31m seized in major joint operation off West Cork coast
Half-tonne cocaine haul worth €31m seized in major joint operation off West Cork coast
Authorities foil British-German drug gang’s €30m smuggling bid after sophisticated surveillance and sea pursuit

Tue, 01 Jul, 2025

CC GARDA ASU UNIT
GardaĂ­ used decommissioned firearms in sting operations to trap illegal gun buyers
GardaĂ­ confirm use of decommissioned weapons in undercover operations as criticism mounts over the prosecution of a vulnerable man

Thu, 26 Jun, 2025

Cannabis ready to roll
Cork man avoids jail for delivering drugs all over the city and county
The court heard that part of the reason the defendant was doing it was to 'pay off what he was smoking'

Mon, 23 Jun, 2025

Cork crime: 'To get a sense of the place you live, it is worthwhile going to your local courthouse for a day'
S Cork crime: 'To get a sense of the place you live, it is worthwhile going to your local courthouse for a day'
Liam Heylin introduces our three-day series with a long view on the hard realities — and hope — he sees every day in our courts

Mon, 23 Jun, 2025

Dep of Health update
Irish woman Lorraine Nolan appointed head of EU's drug agency
Since 2016, Ms Nolan has been the chief executive of Ireland’s Health Products Regulatory Authority

Wed, 18 Jun, 2025

'Ongoing concern in relation to ketamine use among young people'
'Ongoing concern in relation to ketamine use among young people'
New research from the Netherlands found ketamine use was leading to 'agitation, hallucinations, nausea, tachycardia [high heart beat] and hypertension [high blood pressure]'

Tue, 17 Jun, 2025

Cannabis ready to roll
Man facing €50k drugs charges in Cork to be released on bail
The 23-year-old is accused of having drugs for his own use, and having both drugs for the purpose of sale or supply to others

Mon, 16 Jun, 2025

Coolmine's intensive PUP project for drug-using parents 'should go national'
Coolmine's intensive PUP project for drug-using parents 'should go national'
Coolmine's evaluation of its Parents Under Pressure programme in the HSE Dublin and North East areas shows improvements in the functioning of drug-using parents towards their families

Mon, 16 Jun, 2025

Cork mother 'hooked on crack cocaine' told to stay away from bad influences in theft case
Cork mother 'hooked on crack cocaine' told to stay away from bad influences in theft case
The mother of four had stolen three rolls to feed her children as she had used up her own money to feed her addiction

Fri, 13 Jun, 2025

Cocaine in plastic packet on black background
Man delivering drugs to wrong house in Youghal was caught by doorbell video footage
The judge said the incident sounded like 'something from a YouTube video'

Wed, 11 Jun, 2025

POLITICS Cannabis
Lorry driver stopped with €1.1m of cannabis told gardaí 'I’ll smoke it tomorrow', court hears
The father of two was charged with unlawful possession of 55.4 kg of cannabis with an estimated value of €1,108,000 and having it for the purpose of sale or supply

Mon, 09 Jun, 2025

MV Matthew: How crime gang's ill-prepared crew fell afoul of Ireland's largest cocaine seizure
MV Matthew: How crime gang's ill-prepared crew fell afoul of Ireland's largest cocaine seizure
A poorly-prepared and desperate crew were directed from afar by a sophisticated international crime gang, writes Liz Dunphy

Sat, 07 Jun, 2025

EU warns of synthetic drug threat as seizures and overdose risks rise across Ireland
EU warns of synthetic drug threat as seizures and overdose risks rise across Ireland
EU report warns of surging synthetic drug threats in Ireland, with potent opioids, cathinones and edibles endangering public health

Fri, 06 Jun, 2025

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