An organisation in Dublin which provides support for families who have been subjected to drug intimidation has engaged with 75 high-risk families over the last two years.
Fear, violence and trauma have been inflicted upon families across Ireland as a result of addiction and drug debt.
At the Whitechurch Addiction Support Programme (WASP) in Dublin, a group of women shared their stories about how drug intimidation impacted their lives.
Mary
'Mary', whose name has been changed to protect her identity, is the mother of three children.
She said that her middle child became involved with drugs.
"We had three children and it was our middle child who became involved with drugs, and unfortunately incurred a debt which, we were told, we were liable for.
"So, as a family, we had to endure visits from a drug dealer.
"When we refused to answer the door, they started thumping and trying to break the door down"
"Our son had left the home and was not missing officially, but we couldn't contact him.
"We said the drug deal and the debt was nothing to do with us, that he didn't live in the house and that we weren't liable for anything.
"We were told, in no uncertain terms, that we were liable for the debt.
"The intimidation increased then to more than one person coming to our home, and when we refused to answer the door, and they started thumping and trying to break the door down."
Initially, Mary and her husband tried to ignore the threats, hoping the perpetrators would stop.
"Our family was being torn apart by stress, worry and fear"
"During those visits we felt if we did nothing, if we didn't report the crime, if we didn't respond to the intimidation, it would go away.
"That was until there was one horrendous visit when they came armed with crow bars. I was, unusually, in the house on my own that evening, and I could see it all on my doorbell video link.
"I was so petrified that I couldn't even remember how to use my phone to ring 999 for the guards."
Mary said that the ongoing fear and anxiety impacted her and her family.
"Our family was being torn apart by stress, worry and fear.
"Both my husband and I thought we were doing the best for the family, but really, we had no in-depth knowledge of the right thing to do. The stress levels were absolutely stratospheric on our family.
"We still had a child living at home, so our priority became protecting the family, protecting the family home and being safe in it.
"Intimidation comes to your door of your home, which is your safety zone, so that security is breached and your feeling of safety and of retreat from the world is utterly destroyed.
"That fear never leaves you. It's in your body, it's in your mind, from morning 'til evening. You feel total shame because you feel somewhat to blame.
"You feel the person in addiction, you should have been able to fix them. So, it's an incredibly isolating experience to go through."
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'Teresa'
Not all drug-related violence and intimidation comes from strangers, however.
Teresa also engaged with WASP and said that her experience of drug-related intimidation was perpetrated by a loved one.
Teresa, which is not her real name, describes how it gradually took over her life.
"I'm a single mum. I run my own company. And for 12 years, I have tried to fix and manage a situation that, I now understand, is completely outside of my control," she said.
"It was extremely difficult to do all of that and maintain a facade that allowed me to run my own company, and go in every day and pretend that everything was fine.
"If my phone rings and it's a number I don't recognise, every single time I get a fright"
"So, basically, you're living a lie, because it isn't something that you feel you can share with very many people.
"There is huge shame. There is huge guilt. So, you don't want to involve people.
"Through my time spent with the Whitechurch Addiction Support Programme, and the women in my group, I realised that I have been bullied, abused emotionally and financially, and intimidated in my own home."
With the assistance of WASP, Teresa was successfully able to get a safety order against the person perpetrating the intimidation against her, but she says she is still living in a state of fear and anxiety.
"I live in a cul-de-sac, and in the 12 years this is going on, every time a car comes into my estate after midnight, I jump up. I think that every car is somebody that's going to come to the house looking for money.
"If my phone rings and it's a number I don't recognise, every single time I get a fright.
"50% of the time, I go around with pains in my tummy from nerves, because you’re always just waiting for something."
Funding concerns
Eileen Whelan is the drug-related intimidation liaison at WASP, and says that funding for her role will not be renewed when it runs out next month.
The Department of Justice has said that the programme has received two years of funding under the Community Safety Fund, and therefore will not be considered for renewed funding this year.
However, Ms Whelan said that this will diminish WASP's ability to intervene where they are most needed.
"We've had families that have had to relocate. We've had to get the person in addiction out of the country because of the severe threat," she said.
"I just got a call from a concerned mother whose daughter has just told her that she owes €2,000, and if it's not paid by 2pm, she's getting beaten up."
Ms Whelan said that the organisation has seen a huge increase in the number of sexual exploitation cases.
"We had a case where a 22-year-old girl, who lived with her mother, became involved with a guy.
"He supplied her with cocaine and sleeping tablets. She became dependent on those.
"So, he would send a car down at 2am to pick her up, to prostitute her out. She had no way out of this.
"Her mother was engaged with family support at WASP, and we had to get a high-risk alert put on the mother's house through fear of intimidation from this particular person because he wanted sole control over this young girl."
Anyone affected by drug-related intimidation have been advised to contact their local garda station or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.
If you have been impacted by any of the issues raised above, helplines are available here.
