Charlie s Back In The Headlines

Basic fiscal law dictates that where there's money, there's cocaine. Lots of it.
It's not a popular comparison to make, but in terms of surplus cash, and how it's being spent, Y2K Dublin bears a striking resemblance to the way London was during the Thatcher boom years. That extends to the young urban professional's drug of choice, which has increasingly become South American in origin.
Actually, it's wrong to think of cocaine as purely a rich man's plaything the #25 wraps that can be bought any night of the week on O'Connell Street make it almost as affordable as Ecstasy.
"It'll have been cut to fuck, but you can get something which at least contains cocaine for that sort of money," confirms a Dublin dealer. "I haven't dealt on the streets since I was 14, but the lads who do can buy an ounce of cocaine from the next guy up the ladder for #800. Someone will have done a Michael Flatley y'know, danced all over it but divided into 28 gram deals, each selling for a minimum of #50, you can make an easy #600. You'd have to knock a lot of E and dope out to match that.
"Most of mine is repeat business, so I buy better quality stuff for #1,800 and charge between #80 and #100. Even at the top end, there's no shortage of buyers. In fact, they almost prefer paying a hundred quid 'cos it shows that they've got money to throw around."
But as far as Detective Chief Superintendent Ted Murphy of the National Drugs Unit is concerned, cocaine use in the capital is nowhere near as prevalent as the media says it is.
"Various TV and news reports have lead people to believe that there's been a huge increase, but there hasn't really," he tells Hot Press. "There are three areas that I tend to look at. Price, which goes up and down depending on availability. The workplace, which is where you discover if there's been increased absenteeism or unnatural behaviour. And treatment centres, which would have more people going to them. The fact that there hasn't been a significant change in any of those suggests that we're holding steady."
Detective Chief Superintendent Murphy also points to the 1998 crime figures, which show Gardam dealing with just 151 cocaine-related cases. That compares to 4,264 for cannabis resin, 884 for heroin, 618 for speed, 460 for ecstasy, 213 for grass and 15 for morphine.
Apart from the fact that it's only in the last six months that it's become a readily available street drug, there are other reasons for doubting whether those stats are an accurate reflection of how widespread cocaine use is in Ireland.
"My regulars include two solicitors, a doctor and a number of people in the entertainment industry," continues our source. "They know that if they're caught, they re going to lose their well-paid jobs. It's in their interests to be discreet, which is great because I get to do my dealing behind closed-doors. If the Guards don't know it's happening, they can't arrest you. I've been selling two or three ounces a week since 1995, and never come close to being caught."
Not that the Gardam haven't had their successes. Between December 1998 and January 1999, the National Drugs Unit, working in tandem with Customs and Revenue, seized cocaine with an estimated street value of #33.6 million.
"Our seizures, particularly in '99, substantially increased," Detective Chief Superintendent Murphy resumes. "That was largely due to international co-operation. We identified a route, organised by a group of Nigerians, which went Johannesburg/ Frankfurt/Dublin. Some of that was definitely for the Dublin market, and some of it was for London."
While Irish heroin supplies are still controlled by four or five known families, cocaine has attracted a large number of unaligned freelancers.
"There are dozens of people bringing varying amounts of coke into the country," our source suggests. "Some of them used to work for gangs and thought, 'Hang on, why don't I keep all the money for myself?', and others are new to the game. My guy drives over from London once a month with a car-full of drugs, and drives back with a car-full of cash. Another bloke I've bought from makes a couple of trips a year to Amsterdam where you'll pick up decent gear for #400 an ounce. Cut that with a bit of speed and you're talking big money."
Although not always in a position to shut them down, the National Drugs Unit and their European colleagues are well aware of the supply routes.
"Through a combination of Peru, Bolivia and Colombia, we estimate that 15,000 tonnes of cocaine are produced every year," Detective Chief Superintendent Murphy reveals. "After processing, it's usually brought to mainland European ports like Alicante, Rotterdam or Antwerp. Holland is seen as a major distribution point from which traffickers of all different nationalities UK, Irish, Dutch, Turkish, Greek, whatever obtain their supplies. That's why co-operation between international police forces is so important."
One thing, which the Detective Chief Superintendent agrees has changed, is the profile of the average Irish cocaine user.
"Compared to five or 10 years ago when cocaine was the rich man's domain, it's now being recovered albeit in small quantities from people of all different age groups and cultural backgrounds."
This is recognised by the Eastern Health Board who've just announced an extension of their free treatment service to include cocaine, amphetamines and cannabis.
"We have been very opiate-focused and there's a need to address other issues," says Board spokesman James Conway. "Our feedback is that cocaine is becoming more and more available."
It's another indication that, contrary to what they're saying up at Dublin Castle, there's more cocaine in Ireland now than there's ever been.
"There's Charlie everywhere," our source concurs. "The reason why the arrests are so low is that unlike heroin addicts, or E-heads, cocaine-users don't look like they're taking drugs. People snort a couple of lines at the weekend, feel none the worse for wear the next day, and go back into work on Monday without a breeze on them. They see it as use rather than abuse."
Thankfully, there's no sign of Dublin falling victim to the crack cocaine epidemic which has turned parts of London into virtual no-go areas.
"Crack cocaine wouldn't be regarded as a problem at this point," is the Garda view, while the word at street level is that, "The people who are likely to get addicted to crack are already addicted to heroin. Heroin's cheaper and lasts longer, so they're not going to switch." n