Former Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has warned that the “regrettable normalisation” of cocaine use among Ireland’s professional classes is directly fueling violence in the state’s poorest districts. Speaking at the Patrick MacGill Summer School in Glenties, Co Donegal, Harris highlighted a widening societal disconnect between drug consumers and the victims of the illegal trade.
Harris, who led the Garda Síochána from 2018 until his retirement in September 2025, argued that middle-aged, middle-class users are now the primary drivers of demand. He noted that cocaine is increasingly perceived by these demographics as a lifestyle choice—often used as a substitute for alcohol or as a weight-management tool—while the consumers remain insulated from the consequences of their actions.
“The societal damage may not happen in Dublin 4, but it’s happening in Dublin 15,” Harris stated. He emphasized that working-class families are the ones being “ravaged” by organized crime gangs, with younger individuals frequently coerced into the drug trade. Harris expressed “slight pessimism” regarding the police’s ability to win the battle against these groups, despite successful international operations against the Kinahan cartel and other syndicates.
Drawing on his experience in international policing, including visits to Bogotá, Colombia, Harris highlighted the human cost of the global cocaine trade. He described meeting local officers with prosthetic limbs, injured while raiding cartels that export massive quantities of drugs to Europe and the US. He urged the public to consider the broader implications of their drug use, citing human trafficking, ecological damage, and the destabilization of nations as the direct results of the demand fed by Western consumers.