Crack cocaine in the Dublin region - Health Research Board

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Information from Operation Plaza and crack users participating in this study suggestedthat crack cocaine had been supplied by a small number of dealers based mainly in thecity centre. These limited sources of supply may have contributed to a relatively stablehigh price. The price of crack may be a key factor in relation to any potential escalationin its use.10.5 Arrest referral: diverting users into treatmentA number of Irish studies have shown the strong correlation between drug-treatmentand crime reduction (Connolly 2006a; Cox et al. 2006). The establishment of arrestreferral schemes is viewed as an important means of diverting drug users intotreatment at their first point of contact with the criminal justice system – the Gardastation. Action 13 of the National Drugs Strategy 2001–2008 obliges An Garda Síochána‘To monitor the efficacy of the existing arrest referral schemes and expand them, asappropriate’. A report on a pilot arrest referral scheme in Dublin’s north-inner cityraised a number of questions about the efficacy of the model being applied (North EastInner City Drugs Task Force 2005).The north-inner city pilot scheme involves cooperation between the outreach servicesof the Health Service Executive Northern Area, An Garda Síochána North CentralDivision and the local drugs task force. Participation in the scheme is completelyvoluntary for arrestees and does not interfere with the normal processing of thecriminal justice system. The initial take-up of the scheme was low. The report providesdata for juveniles arrested in the North Central Division stations of Store Street,Mountjoy, the Bridewell and Fitzgibbon Street between May and September 2003. Ofthe 214 arrestees, 167 were male. Only 14 (6.5%) of these arrests were made under theMisuse of Drugs Act (MDA) 1977.The take-up rate for the scheme is reported as ‘quite low’, with only a small numberof individuals referred to the health services. The report acknowledges that manyyoung arrestees will not see their drug use as problematic but rather as ‘dabbling’ or‘recreational’ and will therefore not seek help. Also, the low number of MDA-relatedarrests leads the authors to question whether the scheme should be broadened to alljuvenile arrestees regardless of their offence within appropriate qualifications.Data from the NDTRS also suggests a low referral rate of drug users from criminaljustice agencies to the health services. Between 2004 and 2006 only a small number ofcrack users (six) were directed into drug-treatment by the criminal justice system (Table10.1). It is not possible to determine from the data the proportion of those people whowere referred to treatment by the respective criminal justice agencies, the gardaí, theprobation service or the courts.Crack cocaine in the Dublin region: an evidence base for a crack cocaine strategy105
Table 10.1 Number of new cases who lived in Dublin and reported crack cocaine as a problemdrug, by source of referral, as reported to the NDTRS, 2004 to 2006Source of referral Number %Self 10 28.6Health service 8 22.9Court or probation services or police 6 17.1Family and friends 5 14.3Social services 4 11.4Other 1 2.9Not known 1 2.9Total 35 100.010.6 Drug offences and sentencingIn relation to policing drug markets in general, gardaí have referred to the difficulty ofsecuring lengthy sentences for drugs offences. Gardaí report that there is a tendencyby the courts to focus on the value of the drug seized rather than on all aspects of anindividual case. From a garda perspective, this can be particularly frustrating in caseswhere a significant amount of resources have been used to secure evidence againsta drug dealer and that person then receives what gardaí perceive to be a minimumsentence, based only on the value of the drug (GNDU, personal communication, 19May 2006). In relation to crack dealing, the in-depth interviews reveal that manycrack dealers, non-Irish nationals in particular, carry a limited amount with them toexchanges with buyers:And one of them it’s like a closed-up house but it’s being used as a crack house you know.Like the police have been up to it a number of times. Put the door in to try and catch peopleselling stuff and that. A couple of times I think they got a little bit out of it. But they neverreally got much because the coloured guy was cute, you know what I mean? There was nota lot on him. He hides it and he would get a phone call and he’d know exactly how many tobring.north-inner city, current crack user (October 2007)10.7 Key findings• Despite receiving targeted attention from An Garda Síochána, a north-inner citylocation remains the primary crack market in Dublin. Crack users reported anumber of risk-management strategies employed by dealers.• A number of challenges face effective supply control measures, such assophisticated importation strategies for powder cocaine, the use of mobile phonesand the development of crack houses, which have made street-market activityless visible.106 Crack cocaine in the Dublin region: an evidence base for a crack cocaine strategy
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HRB Research Series6Crack cocaine i
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This publication should be cited as
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HRB Research Series publicationsto
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ContentsList of tables and figures
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7 Social consequences of crack use
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List of tables and figuresTablesTab
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AbbreviationsADRUGNDUHRBISCCSGLDTFN
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Glossary of termsBenzos: The street
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Executive summaryBackground and stu
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phone and buyers are directed to sp
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Part 1IntroductionCrack cocaine in
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In the light of these concerns, it
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extensive reporting in the US about
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Ten interviews were conducted with
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also offers potential to trace supp
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Part 2Crack cocaine in the Dublin r
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2.2 Criminal justice data - cocaine
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Prevalence of crack use among homel
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Local survey dataA survey in 2006 o
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Respondent 1: I’d say it’s stil
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3 Dublin crack cocaine market3.0 Ov
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sold on the street for as little as
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Like, I was down on M… Street in
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3.4 Marketing crackFour interviewee
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While crack was generally bought al
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• Although a number of dealers, o
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4.2 Crack use and genderAccording t
Page 56 and 57: From about 16 to 21 I would say - t
Page 58 and 59: Table 4.4Number of new cases who li
Page 60 and 61: 5.2 Crack and other drugsMany of th
Page 62 and 63: Whether treated cases reported crac
Page 64 and 65: cases of intravenous cocaine use, t
Page 66 and 67: Table 5.5Number (%) of new cases wh
Page 68 and 69: Part 3Consequences of crack useCrac
Page 70 and 71: etween heroin, cocaine and crime. T
Page 72 and 73: So, they would talk about the kind
Page 74 and 75: Crack and prostitutionNine services
Page 76 and 77: On the other hand, reports from two
Page 78 and 79: often with a prevalence of opiate d
Page 80 and 81: The data provided by the NDTRS in S
Page 82 and 83: But you know it would be about kind
Page 84 and 85: So, debt is another significant iss
Page 86 and 87: 7.6 Key findings• A significant p
Page 88 and 89: There are considerable long-term ps
Page 90: 8.3 Psychological consequences of c
Page 93 and 94: 9 Treating crack use9.0 OverviewIn
Page 95 and 96: Some services were in a position to
Page 97 and 98: Both opiate-dependent and non-opiat
Page 99 and 100: • more outreach work to identify
Page 101 and 102: 10 Policing crack markets10.0 Overv
Page 103 and 104: local communities. There is growing
Page 105: He’d know me, I’d know him, you
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Page 111 and 112: 11 Discussion and research implicat
Page 113 and 114: 11.2 Responding to crack markets an
Page 115 and 116: 11.3 Reducing the harm that crack c
Page 117 and 118: Shoplifting, burglary and robbery w
Page 119 and 120: Bourgois P (2003b) Crack and the po
Page 121 and 122: Furey M and Browne C (2004) Opiate
Page 123 and 124: Loughran H and McCann ME (2006) A c
Page 125 and 126: San Diego Police Department (1998)
Page 127 and 128: Appendix A:An evidence base for tre
Page 129 and 130: note that providing information on
Page 131 and 132: MedicationsA number of studies have
Page 133 and 134: interpersonal psychotherapy. Americ
Page 135 and 136: Jurisdiction Intervention/Descripti
Page 137 and 138: Jurisdiction Intervention/Descripti
Page 139 and 140: Appendix C:Recent HRB series public
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