Undercover filming reveals extensive, open drug dealing, in broad daylight, as school children pass by.
The level of open drug dealing we have here just would not be tolerated in other more advantaged communities in this country. There would be an outcry, and something would be done about it Andrew Montague, Former Lord Mayor
Almost 10% of the Drug Unit Garda in the country are based in North Dublin Area but community in Ballymun feels intimidated.
Watch Prime Time tonight at 9.35pm on RT One and RT Player
In a special report tonight, RT Investigates will broadcast undercover filming of the steep rise in open drug dealing in one community in the capital, where crack cocaine use is on the increase. RT Prime Time's Fran McNulty has over several weeks, delved into the drug addiction problems, that continue to beset Ballymun in Dublin.
New figures published today show that cocaine, in powder form and the more potent crack cocaine in rock form are a growing problem across the country. The latest Health Research Board statistics spell out the reality of crack cocaine use today in Ireland.
Dr Anne Marie Carew, Research Officer for the Health Research Board, told RT Investigates that between 2014 2020, there has been a 400% increase in the numbers seeking treatment for crack cocaine addiction, from a low base of approximately 84 cases seven years ago. These figures only reflect those users who come forward for treatment, so the real scale of the problem is suspected to be much worse. The Health Research Board describe the crack problem in Ballymun as acute by comparison to other areas in the capital.
80% of those seeking help who use crack live in Dublin. Ballymun is the community with the highest level of people with opiate addiction in the country, 10 times the national average, making it ripe ground for this destructive drug. Drug dealers capitalised on that vulnerability, targeting people with crack cocaine. The intense high from crack cocaine lasts only seconds. The craving for more, leads some people to smoke heroin. The heroin mellows them, so they can feel the next hit even better. A rock of crack costs 20 and a bag of heroin costs 15.
RT Investigates have been monitoring several locations where drugs are openly sold on the streets, in full glare of the public.
One such location is close to a senior citizen housing complex in Ballymun, where dealers have set up shop, with multiple escape routes available.
To see how big a problem drug dealing was at the location, RT Investigates secretly filmed there over five days last month. Viewers tonight will see how on the first day alone, undercover cameras filmed over 42 potential drug deals in just a four-hour afternoon period.
Tonight's programme shows young children regularly passing by as open drug dealing happens. In the 15 minutes it took for children to pass by the location, as they made their way home from primary school, RT Investigates recorded at least nine deals, taking place in front of some of those children. The footage also shows a young toddler standing beside a woman who is asking a dealer for heroin.
Tonight's programme raises several questions including why dealers are being allowed sell drugs openly in broad daylight in multiple locations across Ballymun. The programme will also examine how social deprivation and poverty is proven to increase the risk of drug addiction for young people. As well as speaking to users of crack cocaine it will also feature a unique programme which aims to break the cycle of addiction in the area by intervening in families early, in some cases even before children are born.
In a statement An Garda S ochana said, there are currently 31 members of the Garda assigned to the to the Divisional Drugs Unit in the North Dublin Area, almost 10% of the Drug Unit Garda in the country. They also point out that they do not have any blanket or general powers of stop and search.
The level of open drug dealing we have here just would not be tolerated in other communities, in more advantaged communities in this country. There would be an outcry, and something would be done about it. Andrew Montague Former Lord Mayor & Author Brighter Futures.
RT Investigates - Crack and the Community is presented by Fran McNulty and produced and directed by Janet Traynor.
Watch Prime Time, tonight at 9.35pm on RT One and RT Player
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
17/10/2025
HBO Max is reporting that it has launched in 15 new markets, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Macau, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Ukraine, boosting the streaming serv...
17/10/2025
Netflix said it will make a major push into video podcasts, inking a wide-ranging deal with Spotify through which it will offer 16 podcasts in the U.S. starting...
17/10/2025
Lexington, Ky. As part of a push to highlight its advanced advertising capabilities, Viamedia has launched a new AI-powered ad tech platform and officially rebr...
17/10/2025
NEW YORK QuickLink has announced the release of StudioPro Version 4, which the company is calling the most significant upgrade yet to its flagship video product...
17/10/2025
NEW YORK and CUPERTINO, Calif. Apple and NBCUniversal said they will sell Apple TV and Peacock streaming bundles to U.S. subscribers starting Oct. 20....
17/10/2025
Q&A with Boston Conservatory Choral Conductor Stephen Spinelli How his research into the lost manuscripts of composer Florence Price led to a Grammy-winning c...
16/10/2025
SVG Sit-Down: FUJIFILM Execs on GFX ETERNA 55 Camera, Importance of Shallow-Dept...
16/10/2025
Squash's Most Ambitious Broadcast Production To Be Deployed at Comcast Busin...
16/10/2025
Main Street Sports Group Inks Deal With Omaha Productions, Launches Original-Con...
16/10/2025
A Historic Precursor? FIFA, HBS, DAZN Offer an Inside Look at Production of FIFA...
16/10/2025
Prime Video Offers Sneak Peak at New NBA on Prime StudioThe massive 13,000-sq-ft, two-story studio features a LED regulation half court and hoopBy Jason Dachman...
16/10/2025
SVG Remote Production Forum Draws Record Crowd for Visit to PGA TOUR Studios, De...
16/10/2025
BitFire's Ben Grafchik on How Growing Cloud Workflows Are Impacting the Live...
16/10/2025
AI technology is advancing quickly, bringing both new creative possibilities and...
16/10/2025
In 2017, Imani Ellis launched CultureCon, a conference that's become a must-attend event for more than 10,000 diverse creatives and Black professionals to c...
16/10/2025
It might still be a little early to break out the tinsel and mistletoe, but Spotify's already queuing up some holiday magic. This year's Spotify Singles...
16/10/2025
Earlier this year, our in-house publishing imprint, Spotify Audiobooks, put out ...
16/10/2025
VAMPIRE has been integrated onto GM Defenses Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV), providing a mobile solution to effectively and affordably counter small drone threat...
16/10/2025
The AgilePod mounted on the host aircraft....
16/10/2025
60% say infotainment systems are a critical purchasing or leasing consideration,...
16/10/2025
NEW YORK The Broadcasters Foundation of America has launched its 2025 Year-End Giving Campaign, which seeks to raise donations from tax-deductible personal and ...
16/10/2025
Roku has added several new features to its user interface and operating system meant to make it easier to discover and personalize content, the company said....
16/10/2025
NEW YORK CNN has announced that its All Access subscription tier will launch in the U.S. on Oct. 28, providing audiences with a centralized destination for CNN&...
16/10/2025
Student Spotlight: Alan Villanueva The graduate student and saxophonist, who performed on Natalia Lafourcades Latin Grammy-nominated Live at Carnegie Hall alb...
16/10/2025
The XR Sports Alliance (XRSA) has announced the third cohort of members. The new members include Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), the Vegas Golden Kni...
16/10/2025
NEW YORK The Broadcasters Foundation of America has launched its 2025 Year-End Giving Campaign which seeks to raise donations from tax-deductible personal and c...
16/10/2025
NEW YORK Australia's Nine Network and the NHL today announced a media partnership that will bring the world's premier professional ice hockey league to ...
16/10/2025
Parks Associates has released new data showing that nearly half (45%) of U.S. internet homes watch free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) services and 89% of U.S...
16/10/2025
TROY, Mich. -New data from J.D. Power's 2025 U.S. Residential Internet Service Provider Study shows that residential wireless internet providers are growing...
16/10/2025
TV's most charming detective drama * Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investi...
16/10/2025
Back to All News
Thailand's Legendary Outlaw Returns: Tee Yai: Born to be ...
16/10/2025
Back to All News
Christmas Is Just Around The Corner: Home For Christmas Season...
16/10/2025
Back to All News
Trist n Ulloa Stars in El crimen de Pazos, the New Netflix Ser...
16/10/2025
ABS Completes Redomiciliation to Dubai Development Authority as Part of Strategi...
16/10/2025
This Saturday October 18 Katja Mia will burst onto the radio airwaves for the first time as she joins 2FM. Katja will be standing in for Bl thnaid Treacy on Sat...
16/10/2025
This October, RT is delighted to support Wexford Festival Opera, Babor International Arts Festival for Children, Open House Dublin and 36 other arts and cultu...
16/10/2025
GeForce NOW is more than just a platform to stream fresh games every week - it offers celebrations for the gamers who make it epic, with member rewards to sweet...
15/10/2025
Across the world, early-career reporters are interrogating systems that shape daily life, from mortuaries and classrooms to the corridors of legal education and...
15/10/2025
St. Louis Blues Pay Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne in New Pregame Open VideoThe NHL franchise worked with production firms 2WEI and 4th Floor CreativeBy Mark J Burns,...
15/10/2025
Cobalt Digital, G3DVu, Proxima Vision, and Telos Alliance Renew Premier Sponsors...
15/10/2025
By Paige Bethmann
Before my grandmother passed away in 2019, I went to visit her in the hospital where she'd been for a few weeks. When I arrived, the nurs...
15/10/2025
Two years ago, Spotify set out to grow the entire publishing industry by making ...
15/10/2025
People turn to DJ for a listening experience that feels personal, dynamic, and j...
15/10/2025
Las personas recurren a DJ para vivir una experiencia de escucha personal, din m...
15/10/2025
Rock legend Bruce Springsteen and luminary actor Jeremy Allen White came togethe...
15/10/2025
At Spotify, we're all about supporting rising talent and helping them connec...
15/10/2025
New SBS Documentary Series THE CANCER KILLERS Premieres 4 November on SBS & SBS ...
15/10/2025
SBS celebrates the Festivals of Lights with bold, illuminating stories across th...
Undercover filming reveals extensive, open drug dealing, in broad daylight, as school children pass by.
