Louth TD calls for more investment in addiction treatment services

Louth TD for Fine Gael Paula Butterly called for additional investment in addiction treatment services in the north east during yesterday’s Dáil Éireann debate.

She said: “Drug-related intimidation is not an abstract issue. It is happening in the estates, town centres, communities and countryside of County Louth that I represent every day.

“Families in Drogheda, Dundalk, Ardee and similar communities throughout Louth are living under a shadow of threats from criminal gangs that use fear and intimidation to maintain control and collect debts.

“I have seen and heard stories of houses being petrol-bombed, curtains catching fire, families fleeing for their lives and families going into credit unions looking for the few euro to pay a debt that is not theirs.

“I have heard of a young man sleeping in his car who has not returned to the family home in a couple of years because the drug debt is so high and the intimidation of the family so severe that he fears not only for his life, but for the lives of his family.

“For too long, these organised criminals have preyed on vulnerable people struggling with addiction. What starts as a small debt can quickly escalate into a campaign of intimidation. Homes are targeted.

“Family members are threatened. Parents and grandparents, often completely uninvolved in these criminal activities, become victims because they are related to somebody who has an addiction.

“No community is immune to these threats. Even in the heart of the countryside, these gangs get their putrid claws into our children.

“In Drogheda, we have seen at first hand the devastating impact that organised crime can have on a community. For years, criminal gangs have sought to establish fear as a means of control.”

Deputy Butterly praised the progress of initiatives such as Operation Stratus in targeting organised crime and putting people behind bars.

However she said their power and influence still looms over Drogheda and the intimidation remains for many families.

She said: “I have spoken to constituents who are afraid to answer the door. I have met parents terrified that their children are being groomed by criminal networks, particularly in some of the more disadvantaged areas.

“Community workers, teachers and addiction support services across Drogheda and Dundalk consistently report that families are living with stress, anxiety and isolation because of threats related to drug debts.

“We have also seen how criminal gangs are deliberately targeting young people, some as young as seven. By the time they are nine, they graduate, but not from school.

“They graduate from simply being the mule who brings the drugs to being the pusher. What chance have these children got? They are exploited for their vulnerability. They are offered money, status and a sense of belonging.

“The reality is that these gangs could not care less about our young people. They care only about money. Young people are viewed as assets to be exploited and discarded when they are no longer useful.”

Deputy Butterly stated that the answer can’t be policing alone.

She believes that these crimes have to be punished severely when committed and preventive measures need to be stronger.

She also praised the work of the Gardai in Louth as well as the contributions of local organisations such as Red Door Project, Drogheda Homeless Aid, Mid Louth Youth Service and the Redeemer Family Resource Centre in Dundalk.

“These are people who have put their hearts and souls into working day and night with members of their communities. Every day, these services are helping individuals and families to rebuild their lives.

“However, they need greater support. Very often, they are going from pillar to post, scratching and looking for the coins under the sofa, or applying, reapplying and going through red tape to access the funding they need to offer these vital services.

“We need additional investment in addiction treatment services in the north east.”