“It’s not just a Garda issue – drug-related intimidation is an everybody issue,” says Siobhán Maher.She is national co-ordinator of the Drive project , an inter-agency initiative established in 2020 to tackle drug-related intimidation.Intimidation occurs when a criminal claims a sum of money is owed from a drug debt.Last month the first nationwide report on drug-related intimidation was published, produced by the Drive project, giving a glimpse of the scale of the problem across the country. The project – its acronym stands for “Drug-Related Intimidation and Violence Engagement” – found this kind of intimidation was both “pervasive” and “under-reported”, with 1,027 recorded cases in 2024 and 2025.“It is in every county, young and old, men and women, all age groups,” says Dr Suzi Lyons, one of the authors of the report and a member of the National Drive Oversight Committee, which oversees the project. Although the report also details on a countywide basis the incidence of intimidation for 2024 and 2025, making comparisons between counties is not recommended, says Lyons. The midlands counties collectively reported at least 56 cases, with neighbouring counties posting higher numbers, notably Tipperary (91) and Kildare (32). In addition, the report may not be capturing the full extent of drug-related intimidation due to the nature of the crime.“People are frightened, they may live close to their intimidator. There is a lot of stigma and shame,” says Lyons. “Is there a service where they can go to look for support? If not, they won’t appear in this report. Even if there is a service, they may still be reluctant to report.” Antoinette Kinsella, chairwoman of the National Drive Oversight Committee and co-ordinator of the Midland Drug and Alcohol Task Force, says intimidation is prevalent across the country “including in the midlands”.Maher says there are many types of intimidation. “It could be young people that are targeted, and the vulnerable. They might be forced to sell drugs or to hold drugs, money or firearms,” she says.“They can be recruited by the promise of a high-end jacket. To pay off a drug debt they may end up working for the criminals. Families can be targeted to pay the drug debt, grandparents are sometimes targeted.” As part of the Drive project, each Garda district has an inspector responsible for the reporting intimidation. Detective Inspector Paddy McGirl offers advice to those affected. Photograph: Shelley Corcoran for The Irish Times Det Insp Paddy McGirl has responsibility for the Roscommon-Longford area.“It can start off with verbal threats which can then escalate to physical threats,” he says. “The most common is criminal damage to property.” McGirl says there is “no doubt” drug-related intimidation has become “more prevalent” since 2021 and that all levels of society, both urban and rural, are affected.“All they need is for someone to have an addiction,” he says, referring to the intimidators. The victims “then build up a debt which allows DRI [drug-related intimidation] to flourish”.The Drive project report found intimidation was highest in the HSE region covering north Dublin and the northeast, followed by the region covering west Dublin and the midlands, part of which falls into McGirl’s area.The report found intimidation stemmed most frequently from debts ranging between €1,000 and €4,999, though 39 incidents related to amounts over €20,000.McGirl offers advice to victims of drug-related intimidation and any information he receives from victims is dealt with confidentially. He also explains to them the difference between reporting formally and informally.“Informally, I make every effort to mitigate as much as possible the harm the individual experiences. I don’t pressurise them to make a complaint or to go to court,” he says.The Drive report found almost half (46 per cent) of the cases of drug-related intimidation were resolved informally, without the Garda becoming involved.McGirl advises victims that any formal response will require a statement setting out their complaint and the gathering of sufficient evidence to support a prosecution.The potential harm to families is illustrated in the report, which found that in most cases (63 per cent) victims were living with family members including children.The median age of people affected by the intimidation was 35 years, though there were 44 cases of intimidation against people aged 17 or under. Thirteen cases involved children who were still at school. In 288 cases the people subjected to the intimidation had left school before the age of 16.In most cases, treatment was being sought for problem drug use, with cocaine (40 per cent) and cannabis (11 per cent) being the most common drugs abused.McGirl confirmed that, in his experience investigating the issue, cocaine and cannabis were “the main drugs” being sold in the midlands, with heroin and benzodiazepines – prescription drugs used to treat anxiety and depression – being abused “considerably less”.Edenderry in Co Offaly, like many towns in the midlands, has been impacted by drug use and the intimidation flowing from it.“Drugs are an issue, but only as much as in any other town,” says Derek Usher, co-ordinator of the Edenderry Local Training Initiative, a community-based training programme for unemployed 18- to 35-year-olds. Usher is also the co-ordinator, on a voluntary basis, of a recently formed local community-based initiative called Edenderry Community Connect (ECC) that aims to bring together community groups and local people to improve support within the area. It involves a range of sectors, from mental health to addiction services, youth to family supports, and Garda representatives.“The aim of ECC is to signpost people to whatever services they need, be that addiction, mental health, family, financial,” says Usher.Meanwhile, the Drive project, Maher says, has “a menu” of supports and services for those affected by drug-related intimidation on driveproject.ie.“We provide training for frontline workers and brief adviser training. It could be staff at GP surgeries, sports clubs, the credit union,” she says. “There are also family support services in the local drug and alcohol taskforces which provide emotional and practical support for families. There is also drug support for the person who has accrued the debt.” “It’s important,” she says, “that people know the services are free, safe and confidential”.While, in his area, Det Insp McGirl never offers victims of drug-related intimidation any advice on paying a drug debt – “that is their decision” – he will advise on “the pros and cons” regarding payment and non-payment.Any meeting he has with victims is totally confidential, McGirl says.“I won’t be in uniform, I won’t be in a patrol car and I will meet them at a location suitable to them,” he says.