The conviction of three men this week for trying to bring over a ton and a half of cocaine into the country has an air of hilarity about it, mainly because the gang only failed because of the ineptitude of one of their members.
According to evidence heard in court the operation, which saw €440 million worth of the drug ulled out the sea off west Cork last year, “some idiot” had put petrol deisel into the fuel tanks of the petrol-powered boat used by the gang.
There’s no harm in having a giggle at the expense of bungling criminals. What was more worrying about the case was Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin’s assertation that none of them appeared to suffer from an addiction. In short these were not addicts who had found themselves on a downward spiral culminating in prosecution; the entire operation was an opportunistic enterprise aimed at making enormous amounts of money out of other people’s addictions.
Cocaine has long enjoyed an image of sophisticated decadence, and has been linked with success because it was once beyond the reach of many because of its high price. It is cheaper now, and so, apparently, are the lives of those who are seduced by this fallacy.
Cocaine is lethal. There is no getting away from that fact, and there are families up and down the country who live every day knowing that a loved one has been taken from them because they indulged in this deadly vice. You don’t have to look very far for evidence of the damage it can do.
Just last Friday an inquest in Dublin heard of the sudden death of a young man from Kilkenny after he had taken cocaine. Francis Ryan was just 28 and should have been looking forward to a bright future and a successful career in engineering when he was found dead on the floor of an en suite bathroom in his Dublin apartment. Mr Ryan had been using the drug socially, and had indulged in a few lines with a friend before collapsing at his home.
A verdict of death by misadventure was recorded at the inquest.
State pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy told the court that Mr Ryan had died because of cocaine use. The drug often causes cardiac and vascular abnormalities. In layman’s terms, it can cause people to suddenly collapse and die.
Francis Ryan was no stereotypical drug addict. His friend told the inquest that Francis was a decent and honourable person. He had studied engineering at DIT and had a promising career ahead of him. He had taken cocaine in a social context, enjoying a few lines with his flatmate in much the same way as two friends might share a bottle of wine.
His was one of three inquests heard on the day involving young men who had collapsed and died after taking cocaine.
The cocaine that killed Francis Ryan, model Katie French, and countless others is trafficked into this country by greedy, opportunistic people who care nothing for the damage it causes. They will happily deal in “death and destruction”, as Judge Ó Donnabháin described the trade during court hearings this week, to line their own pockets.
Most regular users will not die because of their habit, but it will affect their work, relationships, and physical and mental health. It will destroy couples, families, and the careers, ambitions, and peace of mind of the many young people who continue to fall prey to the drug despite regular accounts of deaths like that of Mr Ryan.
