Cocaine use is the driving factor behind drug-related intimidation (DRI) in the Republic, accounting for nearly 60 per cent of all cases, a new report has found.
Gardaí have said criminal intimidation has become increasingly common in the past five years. Victims have been forced to store drugs, have had threats against family members and experienced sexual exploitation.
The findings come from a report by the National Drug Related Intimidation & Violence Engagement Project reviewing people who accessed addiction or family supports and disclosed experiences of drug-related intimidation.
More than four in 10 cases (43 per cent) took place in Dublin, but no other county accounted for more than 9 per cent of cases.
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While victims were of various ages, 59 per cent were male. Those behind the intimidation were “predominantly male and under 30 years of age”, the report found.
“A small proportion were aged under 18, identifying that youth exploitation, coercion, and early criminal involvement are active components of the manifestation of DRI in Ireland,” it said.
Victims of intimidation reported threats to their safety and that of their family members, as well as threats of property damage.
Some reported suffering “coercive demands” such as holding drugs and other contraband. Others alleged sexual exploitation, blackmail and forced involvement in criminal activities.
The majority of instances of drug-related intimidation, 59.2 per cent, were to do with the victim’s drug use. A further 11.5 per cent related to involvement in drug dealing.
Cocaine was behind 58.8 per cent of cases, with cannabis the next most common drug at 14.4 per cent. Most cases involved drug debts.
Assistant commissioner for organised and serious crime Angela Willis said the Garda has seen an increase in the number of reported drug-related intimidation cases in the past five years.
In 2025, gardaí dealt with about 600 incidents of drug-related intimidation.
Alongside an increase in the frequency of such incidents, Willis said gardaí have seen the number of people arrested and charged for the crime increase.
Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said drug-related intimidation often leaves victims “in a state of fear and isolation”.
It is the first report on the issue compiled by the National Drug Related Intimidation & Violence Engagement Project.
