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How did the PIRA keep drugs out of Northern Ireland

Jackpoiuy

I always found it remarkable how in the 80s and 90s with the heroin epidemic and hard drugs in general the republican areas in the north remained unscathed, heroin and other hard drugs were practically unheard of while working class areas in the republic and the rest of the United Kindom were completely destroyed.

There had to be more to this than simply killing drug dealers as there wasn't even many dealers killed. If there's one good thing the IRA did it's this

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Jackpoiuy

Ash.J.Williams wrote: »

We get it... You love the Ira...

Would someone who loves the IRA use a phrase like "the rest of the United Kingdom" I'm not even a republican never mind an IRA supporter.

Poor Uncle Tom

steddyeddy wrote: »

You're confusing them with later IRA incarnations.

Actually, I'm not.

[Deleted User]

Poor Uncle Tom wrote: »

Actually, I'm not.

Then please write a book about it, cause it will get published for sure and would be a fascinating read with all this new evidence

[Deleted User]

Jackpoiuy wrote: »

I don't know where the myth about the IRA selling drugs came from, you only really hear about it on sites like these even the British army had said the IRA were not involved in drugs.

The Provos did a huge amount of bad things but some people here want to see everything pinned on them for their own agendas. They are the other side of the coin from rapid RA fans

[Deleted User]

steddyeddy wrote:

By killing the drug dealers.

And at the same time collected protection money from the dealers into the South.

Poor Uncle Tom

riffmongous wrote: »

Then please write a book about it, cause it will get published for sure and would be a fascinating read with all this new evidence

Nothing new about it whatsoever, and nothing new in the idea of any terrorist organisation funding their activities through the drugs industry and any other criminal activity,

or maybe there was some line they wouldn't cross?
Kill, maim, murder...all ok!
peddle drugs? jesus no, what do you think they are? :rolleyes:

Jackpoiuy

Poor Uncle Tom wrote: »

Nothing new about it whatsoever, and nothing new in the idea of any terrorist organisation funding their activities through the drugs industry and any other criminal activity,

or maybe there was some line they wouldn't cross?
Kill, maim, murder...all ok!
peddle drugs? jesus no, what do you think they are? :rolleyes:

But we are talking about the IRA why are you going on about other terrorist organisations?

Poor Uncle Tom

Jackpoiuy wrote: »

But we are talking about the IRA why are you going on about other terrorist organisations?

Because there is no difference whatsoever....

greencap

Jackpoiuy wrote: »

I'm aware of that but I was thinking there had to be more to it as is evident around the world that fighting drugs with violence simply doesn't work so why did it work in Northern Ireland?

Fear.

Why would you deal in such an hostile environment when theres other easier options such as Dublin, London or Glasgow.

Plus the UK intel forces were highly active in the region. More hassle.

[Deleted User]

Poor Uncle Tom wrote: »

Nothing new about it whatsoever, and nothing new in the idea of any terrorist organisation funding their activities through the drugs industry and any other criminal activity,

or maybe there was some line they wouldn't cross?
Kill, maim, murder...all ok!
peddle drugs? jesus no, what do you think they are? :rolleyes:

If you wrote a book detailing the Provos involvement in the drugs trade it would be groundbreaking as to my knowledge there is nothing like that out there. Why is that I wonder?

[Deleted User]

Jackpoiuy wrote: »

But we are talking about the IRA why are you going on about other terrorist organisations?

Because he's got no proof

Jackpoiuy

Poor Uncle Tom wrote: »

Because there is no difference whatsoever....

You're making no sense whatsoever.

Poor Uncle Tom

riffmongous wrote: »

Then please write a book about it....

riffmongous wrote: »

If you wrote a book....

What's the preoccupation with writing a book?

riffmongous wrote: »

.... as to my knowledge there is nothing like that out there. Why is that I wonder?

It's there ok, you just need to weed it out....

[Deleted User]

Poor Uncle Tom wrote: »

What's the preoccupation with writing a book?

It's there ok, you just need to weed it out....

Because this thread come up every year and no one ever posts any proof, so if there was a book about it we could at least discuss something, rather than being contanstly told we have to weed it out for ourselves every year

RDM_83 again

Jackpoiuy wrote: »

There had to be more to this than simply killing drug dealers as there wasn't even many dealers killed. If there's one good thing the IRA did it's this

They didn't/don't kill that many people, but a lot more people are asked to "leave" an area and if that didn't occur there was a fair amount of punishment beatings.

banie01

Jackpoiuy wrote: »

I'm aware of that but I was thinking there had to be more to it as is evident around the world that fighting drugs with violence simply doesn't work so why did it work in Northern Ireland?

There is a world of difference between judicial state sanctioned violence and its use in self defence, law enforcement and the strictures and regulations controlling it.
Than there is between the application of violence by organised and well resourced violent revolutionary organisations whos only legal restriction is an "army council".

The PIRA used violence and the implicit threat of overwhelming retaliation as quite an effective market control tactic.
Drugs were a significant of revenue for all the paramilitaries.

As other "gangs" have gained access to similar weaponry the spread of the drug trade outside of their control has grown.
Of further note is the fact that that many gangs were leaned on by paramilitary orgs for "tribute".
This was often paid again out of fear, now that access to weapons has grown and the money makes it attractive to lay aside any fear of the PIRA as anything other than competition...
Their "areas" have been deemed fair game by the drug gangs.

mfceiling

Most of you haven't a clue. I used to be into the rave culture in the mid 90's and early 2000's. We went to clubs all over the north. Loyalists and Provos both used to sell drugs openly at these events. I never took them but I knew enough to keep my head down and ignore the blatant dealing which took place.

There was a club in Banbridge called Circus Circus. Walking up the 2 flights of stairs and there were anywhere between 20 - 30 tattooed hard men asking what you wanted..."E's, speed or acid mate"...

Other clubs would have had lads standing in the toilets dealing openly from large bags. Again eyes straight ahead and no contact.

You're living in some sort if fantasy land if you think that paramilitaries on both sides didn't peddle drugs.

RDM_83 again

^^^^

I always think this conversation is more about heroin than the party drugs, there definitely is a difference, compare Derry to Limerick fairly similar in terms of size and poverty but one has a severe heroin problem for decades.
In northern Ireland compare Derry to Ballymena

maccored

the pira didnt want their pool of prospective volunteers to end up being a bunch of junkies. too easy to turn. quite simple logic really

Jackpoiuy

mfceiling wrote: »

Most of you haven't a clue. I used to be into the rave culture in the mid 90's and early 2000's. We went to clubs all over the north. Loyalists and Provos both used to sell drugs openly at these events. I never took them but I knew enough to keep my head down and ignore the blatant dealing which took place.

There was a club in Banbridge called Circus Circus. Walking up the 2 flights of stairs and there were anywhere between 20 - 30 tattooed hard men asking what you wanted..."E's, speed or acid mate"...

Other clubs would have had lads standing in the toilets dealing openly from large bags. Again eyes straight ahead and no contact.

You're living in some sort if fantasy land if you think that paramilitaries on both sides didn't peddle drugs.

Were the loyalists and provos holding hands as they sold these drugs outside these clubs?

I think even the other guy calling the provos drug dealers knows that they weren't standing outside night clubs selling ecstasy tablets for "3 for score".

Jackpoiuy

mfceiling wrote: »

Most of you haven't a clue. I used to be into the rave culture in the mid 90's and early 2000's. We went to clubs all over the north. Loyalists and Provos both used to sell drugs openly at these events. I never took them but I knew enough to keep my head down and ignore the blatant dealing which took place.

There was a club in Banbridge called Circus Circus. Walking up the 2 flights of stairs and there were anywhere between 20 - 30 tattooed hard men asking what you wanted..."E's, speed or acid mate"...

Other clubs would have had lads standing in the toilets dealing openly from large bags. Again eyes straight ahead and no contact.

You're living in some sort if fantasy land if you think that paramilitaries on both sides didn't peddle drugs.

And how did you know these guys outside these clubs were provos?

Jackpoiuy

maccored wrote: »

the pira didnt want their pool of prospective volunteers to end up being a bunch of junkies. too easy to turn. quite simple logic really

I guess it would have made them easier to penetrate

mfceiling

Jackpoiuy wrote: »

And how did you know these guys outside these clubs were provos?

If you went to more of the local clubs it didn't take a genius to recognise the local men selling. And it was never outside the clubs...always inside. There were a few clubs within 10 miles of my home town and the dealing was as open as buying drink at the bar. Even today in the north you would know where "members" of both paramilitaries lived if you are from the area.

mfceiling

Jackpoiuy wrote: »

Were the loyalists and provos holding hands as they sold these drugs outside these clubs?

I think even the other guy calling the provos drug dealers knows that they weren't standing outside night clubs selling ecstasy tablets for "3 for score".

They didn't "hold hands" as you put it. And as I have said before, all dealing took place inside the clubs...both in the toilets and with lads patrolling the floor asking if you were "sorted".

LordSutch

steddyeddy wrote: »

By killing the drug dealers.

...and/or knee capping them I presume?

steddyeddy

LordSutch wrote: »

...and/or knee capping them I presume?

Yea that too.

[Deleted User]

mfceiling wrote: »

Most of you haven't a clue. I used to be into the rave culture in the mid 90's and early 2000's. We went to clubs all over the north. Loyalists and Provos both used to sell drugs openly at these events. I never took them but I knew enough to keep my head down and ignore the blatant dealing which took place.

There was a club in Banbridge called Circus Circus. Walking up the 2 flights of stairs and there were anywhere between 20 - 30 tattooed hard men asking what you wanted..."E's, speed or acid mate"...

Other clubs would have had lads standing in the toilets dealing openly from large bags. Again eyes straight ahead and no contact.

You're living in some sort if fantasy land if you think that paramilitaries on both sides didn't peddle drugs.

Was reading the thread title and thinking precisely of this. The rave and dance in the North was, by all accounts, much bigger than in the 26 counties, and no way was that fuelled by pints or energy drinks. I guess the topic title should really be limited to heroin, and that can simply be an environmental thing, for example where I grew up half the country was on drugs, but very much party stuff, no heroin at all, it just wasn't the done thing. It hit Dublin and Glasgow harder than most other European cities, the question should really be why they were outside the norm, not NI.

Dr Crayfish

I don't know what their involvement was or if they had any, but I think the poster may be trying to say something like omg weren't the IRA great in that they kept drugs off the streets. I'm an advocate of legalising all drugs, but I'll stick to drugs on the streets if if it means we don't have murderous vigilante terrorists burying bodies all over the island and intimidating the population and planting bombs thanks!

I do remember in the 90s, some of the bars of hash would have a certain stamp and it was known as IRA hash, whether that had any substance I don't know.

enricoh

Lads started selling heroin here in the 90's along with e's and speed. The ra pretty much gave them 24 hours to leave town. One genius decided against it n was kneecapped. They really did keep a lid on it for the guts of 20 years. However if they tried it now it'd be the ra getting 24 hours to leave town unfortunately

Dr Crayfish

enricoh wrote: »

Lads started selling heroin here in the 90's along with e's and speed. The ra pretty much gave them 24 hours to leave town. One genius decided against it n was kneecapped. They really did keep a lid on it for the guts of 20 years. However if they tried it now it'd be the ra getting 24 hours to leave town unfortunately

You think it's unfortunate we don't have armed vigilantes in our towns and cities? You should move to the Phillipenes.