Cocaine in Coleraine

Adjournment – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 5:30 am on 10 June 2008.

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Photo of Francie Molloy Francie Molloy Sinn Féin 5:30, 10 June 2008

The proposer of the topic for debate will have 15 minutes in which to speak, and all other Members who wish to speak will have approximately 10 minutes.

Photo of John Dallat John Dallat Social Democratic and Labour Party

I am grateful for the opportunity to bring this debate to the House. The title of the debate is ‘Cocaine in Coleraine’, and concerns the future well-being of my constituency. It could apply equally to any towns and villages across the north, and I have no doubt that the Members representing those areas are no less concerned than me.

Analysis of drugs seized over the past two years in Coleraine shows that the quantity of cocaine has doubled, although the year is not half over. In the same area, seizures of cannabis resin are much higher: the quantity has trebled to 13,286g. In recent times, six cannabis factories have been dismantled, with cash seizures approaching £200,000. Ecstasy tablets (E tabs) are also in plentiful supply; the number of those recovered has reached 2,400, and it is rising rapidly.

The area that I represent is exporting plants. Fortunately, 1,105 cannabis plants, valued at more than £500,000, did not see the light of day. It is frightening that my area now exports illicit drugs that will be used to destroy children and young people, who deserve better than to be consigned to the dustbin of narcotics.

Increased support for policing has, without doubt, been a godsend; nevertheless, new markets for deadly drugs such as cocaine, cannabis resin, E tabs, speed and so on are increasing. Frightening, too, is the development of sophisticated marketing plans that are attractive to the innocent and naive. A drug addict, who recently called at one of my offices to seek help, told me that he could have £2,000 worth of drugs on credit within an hour of dialling a certain mobile telephone number. He told me that he did not need to repay all the money if he agreed to handle cash or drugs on behalf of the pushers. It is as simple as that.

The drugs trade is highly lucrative for those with no conscience or grasp of the evil that they are involved in; but it is extremely costly in health and welfare, self-esteem and employment. At the recent economic conference, one of the leading questions of potential investors — particularly those from America — was, without the shadow of a doubt, drugs and how they affect the performance of the workforce. Fortunately, it has not become a major issue, but it will if we do not take seriously the upward trends and the switch to more dangerous drugs such as cocaine.

There is also the issue of the rehabilitation and resettlement of people who wish to kick the habit. Rehab provision is hopelessly inadequate — it scarcely exists. Provision is available in the Republic, but arrangements do not allow victims from the North to avail themselves of those services, and that needs to be addressed immediately.

I note that no Ministers are present for this debate. However, I hope that they will take the trouble to read the Hansard report.

Use of the Assets Recovery Agency is encouraging. I urge that its powers be strengthened so that it can seize cash that cannot be explained and which has not been declared to the Inland Revenue and Customs. We all remember the journalist Veronica Guerin, who lost her life when she took on the drugs barons. Her sacrifice was instrumental in changing the law and in making it possible to seize the millions of euro concealed by some of the deadliest criminals on this island. Let us hope that the North will not have to wait for a similar tragedy.

The call from the Assembly must be loud and clear: we support the police in their work of detecting and seizing drugs, arresting those involved, and calling for stiffer sentences for the drugs barons. We call on the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to put in place a proper recovery plan for victims; we call on the Minister of Education to build drugs education into and across the school curriculum; and we demand a concerted campaign to unmask the pushers, the boys with the bling and the 4 x 4s. We fully back the whistle-blowers who are too frightened to approach the police; and we demand that communities are regained for the common and greater good of all.

I hope that, by having this debate, we raise awareness, not just in Coleraine but right across Northern Ireland and beyond, that this serious problem affects every town village. Unless we, as a community, tackle the problem and work together, and unless Departments co-operate and exchange information, the problem will continue.

That is not the type of society that our parents and ancestors wanted — Ireland never needed or wished for a drugs-laden society.

Now that we have an Assembly, and various Departments that have an important role to play, action will be taken, please God. It is hoped that there will be no hiding place for the drug pushers in Belfast, Derry, Coleraine or any other large town or city, or on any small housing estates in rural areas. We must get the message across, loud and clear.

We must also support calls for greater resources, and, above all, it is important that the public be encouraged to play a role. There is not an area of which I am aware in which people do not know the identity of the drug pushers, but, through fear, they choose not to report them. There are also instances in which those who are messing about with drugs have an important role to play in attempts to find the big pushers.

I am not sure of all the details, but the victims to whom I speak tell me that the drugs industry is a sophisticated business. If one were to apply the same marketing principles to legal goods, one would be a millionaire. God knows, those supplying the drugs are millionaires, and we must put out their light.

Photo of Adrian McQuillan Adrian McQuillan DUP 5:45, 10 June 2008

I pay tribute to the PSNI officers who lead the daily fight to remove as many drugs as possible from our cities, towns and streets. The nature of their work means that we do not know who they are, but our gratitude for what they do must be expressed in the fullest terms.

The PSNI report ‘Drug Seizures and Arrests: 1 April 2007 — 31 March 2008’ shows that there has been another drop in the number of drug seizures in Coleraine in 2007-08. That shows that the PSNI’s detection and seizure policies are correct. The nature of supply and use makes it difficult for officers to have success, but there has been a constant rate of success in the Coleraine area when it comes to catching suppliers and users.

Table 4.1 in the same report illustrates how the PSNI has been successful in detecting those engaged in supplying cocaine to the community in Northern Ireland. The figures show that the number of seizures has risen by two and a half times in two years. However, the amount seized has decreased by almost 10,000g. That demonstrates that the PSNI can successfully detect the people who carry small amounts of the drug.

However, the recent Coleraine seizure proves that the problem still exists, and constant vigilance is required to keep on top of the problem. Recent cannabis seizures in Coleraine and Castlerock show that the PSNI is ever vigilant in its hunt for drugs of any type.

It is also worth noting that there is a growing link between drugs and organised crime. That presents additional challenges to the PSNI in its work to eradicate the curse of drugs from our society, because the detection and seizure of drugs is made even more difficult by the secretive nature of organisations that deal drugs. Thankfully, the PSNI has had notable successes in the Coleraine area, which have resulted not only in the seizure of drugs and the prosecution of suppliers but in the reclaiming of money from the people who were engaged in that disgusting and evil activity.

It is sickening that people earn money by destroying people’s lives — be it the life of the addict or the lives of their loved ones — and do so without conscience.

In a previous Assembly debate, I mentioned the effect that the use of drugs can have on people’s states of mind and the tragedies that can, and do, result — be that through an accidental overdose or suicide. However, I am not saying that any of the tragic cases in Northern Ireland fit into that category. The potential for tragedy is greater when an individual uses drugs — an observation that is based on paragraph 13.4.1 of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs’ report, ‘Cannabis: Classification and Public Health’..

If an individual’s mental state has been altered by a drug — one must remember that cocaine is a much more powerful drug than cannabis — it is reasonable to assume that the user will act in a manner that he or she would not normally.

It seems that young people are most at risk, and they are also our greatest asset for the future. Therefore, we must protect them, as far as possible, from the scourge of drugs. That is especially true in Coleraine and its surrounding area, with its university, and its popular and vibrant nightlife, which, apparently, contribute to the use of drugs.

Although I have spoken about young people, I am also fully aware that the problem extends to all ages and social strata. That may not be unusual in the United Kingdom context, but it causes me deep concern. I am saddened by doubt that we will ever eradicate the drugs problem; it is essential, however, that we recognise it.

I support the PSNI and all other agencies in their efforts to combat the drugs problem. Last year, 18 drugs gangs — an increase of 33% on the previous year — lost their drugs, money and, in many cases, their liberty. The drugs squad made seizures worth more than £4·3 million, for which I thank them.

Adjournment debates are a useful way of highlighting local issues, but we must never overlook the fact that illegal drugs are a Province-wide problem. I welcome the debate, not just because it draws attention to Coleraine, but because it calls for increased support for those in our communities who deal with the realities of cocaine and drug abuse in Northern Ireland in general.

Mr Deputy Speaker, I apologise for leaving, but I have a meeting in Coleraine. I thank Mr Dallat for bringing the issue to the House.

Photo of Francie Brolly Francie Brolly Sinn Féin

Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. I welcome the debate and Mr Dallat’s assertion that, although the motion mentions Coleraine, he is as aware as am I that cocaine is available in every village and townland in Ireland; some of the bigger towns may be production and supply centres, but we all suffer.

People of my generation and that of most Members were probably not so much unaware as reluctant to accept that we were going to have a drug problem as rampant and as terrible as that in any other part of the world. We buried our heads in the sand for years, hoping that not talking about it would make it go away.

However, from experience, I know that my own village of Dungiven has a problem with powerful drugs, not just cannabis. We must accept that. The generation gap is characterised by those, like us, who are reluctant to accept that it is happening and the younger generation who are flippant and comfortable about drugs and accept their use as a way of life. Their approach is exemplified by some of the names that they use for cocaine. I have a list of them that I would like to go through.

It is significant that young people substitute pet names for cocaine. I wonder whether young people are responsible for doing so or if it is the insidious way in which dealers try to give the impression that cocaine is not as harmful as it very definitely is.

“Charlie” is a humorous sort of name given to it; “chang” may be something to do with the Middle East; “coke”, associated perhaps with Coca Cola rather than anything harmful; “gack” is humorous — people might ask where they could get some “gack”. Other slang names are “toot” and “vialli”; then there is “showbiz sherbet”. Sherbet is interesting stuff. “Snow”, “white”, “candy” — now what could be more harmless than candy? It is American, which gives it a wee bit of an upmarket sound. “Percy” must give cocaine some sort of aristocratic bent. I believe that cocaine is widely used as a recreational drug among people who consider themselves of a higher class. They are probably the people who call it “percy”. The last name, “sniff”, is ordinary, rock bottom, and probably used by most victims.

That is all fiercely insidious and dangerous, and it frightens me and people of my generation. What frightens me most is young people’s acceptance of cocaine. It is a white flaky powder made from coca leaves — I do not know whether everyone else knew that, but I did not know it until today. The first time that I ever heard of a similar word was when, as children, we used to have a nice warm drink of cocoa, perhaps with a piece of toast, when we were going to bed on a winter evening. It is sad that something as harmless as a coca leaf can create this type of havoc in society, but that is what is happening.

Cocaine is odourless, soluble and a powerful stimulant. It can be used in different ways, but normally it is taken by sniffing. It is difficult to imagine using a straw to sniff stuff up into one’s nose. In fact, I have also discovered that, sometimes, when a straw is not available, people use a rolled-up banknote, which suggests that they are not short of money, although they would not need to be if they are going to buy such stuff. Cocaine goes into the bloodstream very rapidly because it is sniffed up into the nose and the nasal membranes are so thin and sensitive. The user experiences an intense feeling of euphoria for between 15 to 30 minutes. That is the limit — 30 minutes — and then, to use the common phraseology, the user starts to come down again.

It is interesting that, for the sake of those 15 or 30 minutes, people are prepared to accept some of the effects of coming down, which include anxiety, paranoia and depression. Sometimes, as a result of the ill-effects of coming down, the user is encouraged, naturally enough, to use some more so that he can go back up again. That is when cocaine becomes very dangerous and when overdosing and death may result. Other effects include tremors, twitching, a rapid pulse, nausea and high blood pressure. It is amazing what people do for recreation in this day and age.

The serious risks of using cocaine include chronic sneezing — naturally, because of the sensitivity of the nasal membrane — frequent nose bleeds, and permanent damage to the nasal membrane. Worst of all, because of the dependence that may build up as a result of the terrible effects of coming down, overdosing becomes another risk, as does death — it is as simple as that.

The law says that, in whatever form, cocaine is a class-A drug that it is illegal to produce, supply or possess. An indication of the seriousness of the cocaine problem, as with all such problems, is that there is now a group called Cocaine Anonymous. Such groups are not established unless a problem is widespread and severe. Cocaine Anonymous operates along the same lines as Alcoholics Anonymous, and we all know how widespread the abuse of alcohol is. It is evident that cocaine abuse is a very serious problem.

When we talk about the law, we should not understand it as referring only to the PSNI or the courts. People’s attitude should be that the law starts with them — in their houses, in their homes. We must ensure that the parents of vulnerable young people are vigilant, and the next step involves asking teachers and young people’s wider family circles to be vigilant and, of course, the wider community. The whole community must stand up against cocaine use, and we must do it in a way that ensures that we are not seen as spoilsports. We are trying to save lives, just as we try to combat speeding in cars or joyriding — or whatever people want to call it. Those are all measures that we must take in order to save lives.

When all else fails and we cannot handle the situation in our homes, our wider family circles, our schools or our communities, we must get behind the PSNI, give it every support and make it clear that we want it to do the business.

Adjourned at 6.00 pm.