Garda Commissioner Says Reported Drug Debt Intimidation Is 'Tip of the Iceberg'
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly told a public meeting in Cavan that reported drug-related intimidation is only the tip of the iceberg. Gardaí in Louth, Cavan and Monaghan have appealed to victims to come forward.
By the Monaghan Brief staff·Edited by Seamus McKenna·Published · 2 min read
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Monaghan Courthouse, Church Square. Archive location photograph; not a photo of the events in this story. Andreas F. Borchert · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and colour-graded; cropped in layout.
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly says the drug-related intimidation cases reported to gardaí are just "the tip of the iceberg", RTÉ News reports. He was speaking on Wednesday, 28 October, at a public meeting in Co Cavan between the Commissioner and the Policing and Community Safety Authority.
What the Commissioner said
About 600 drug-related intimidation incidents are reported to gardaí each year.
Drug debts are sometimes sold to another criminal group, which can then set a higher amount.
He called the experience "hugely traumatic" and "terrifying" for families.
"Even if you are a drug supplier, or your son or daughter is, if the family is subject to DRI, that doesn't matter to us," he said. "There shouldn't be any stigma about coming forward."
He said people can report anonymously, and gardaí can gather evidence without a formal statement of complaint. He also urged families to engage with DRIVE, the national programme set up to tackle the problem. "People should not be alone in this," he said.
Local appeal
Chief Superintendent Alan McGovern of the Louth/Cavan/Monaghan Garda Division appealed to victims to come forward, Northern Sound reports. He said contact can be made in full confidence, with no pressure to make a statement. Every Garda division has a dedicated drug-related intimidation inspector, and people can report anonymously without going into a Garda station.
The meeting also heard about the time gardaí spend on mental health calls. Ch Supt McGovern said gardaí in Co Cavan deal with a traumatic incident "every 40 hours".
The Sinn Féin justice spokesperson opened Tuesday night's debate calling for a dedicated Garda and CAB crackdown on gangs, and Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan said the Government would support it. Locally, Teach na nDaoine in Monaghan town says intimidation is alive in the county.
Representatives of sheds from Cavan and Monaghan met in Belturbet over the loss of the 2025-26 Men's Sheds grant. The Irish Men's Sheds Association says the next dedicated grant is expected in 2027.
Fewer than ten cases of drug-related intimidation were reported in County Monaghan in 2024, a meeting at the Monaghan Peace Campus heard, but drugs workers and councillors say the true figure is hidden and have asked gardaí for local data.
