Farmers selling cattle to pay their children's drug debts after gang intimidation

Balaclava-clad gangs are reportedly targeting rural families demanding payments for drug debts, forcing some farmers to sell cattle to pay off their children's debt, an investigation by Irish Country Living has found.

According to Garda sources, drug intimidation is now more lucrative for criminals than the sale of drugs themselves.

Irish Country Living journalist Jacqueline Hogge said parents and grandparents in rural Ireland are being terrorised.

"The most shocking part of my report was testimony from a young woman who is a recovering addict. But, she got into such a situation that the dealers she was involved with put a message up on Snapchat.

"They actually put her photograph up on Snapchat, looking for her home address, and offering €500 cash.

"This ultimately led to masked men surrounding her home house and demanding €10,000 from her parents.

"They're arriving at the homes of young people who are caught up in this world and they're demanding the drug debt be repaid by the families."

Hogge said the drug situation in rural areas is being described as an epidemic.

"Again, there still is such stigma and shame regarding drug use in rural Ireland that these families are, as the report says, selling cattle selling other assets to try and raise money to keep these people from their front doors."