TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has said there “could very well be a link” between declining alcohol consumption and increased cocaine use in Ireland.

He added that such a connection “would be very worrying”.

Martin was speaking to reporters in Japan ahead of the opening of a new Irish Embassy in Tokyo.

Yesterday, two men were arrested after they were allegedly caught bringing a huge quantity of cocaine ashore in west Cork.

The incident happened off Broad Strand, Courtmacsherry and an estimated €30m worth of suspected cocaine was seized following a two-day drugs interdiction operation.

Martin was asked about this seizure, in addition to figures showing that Ireland is one of the biggest cocaine users in Europe.

Cocaine was the main drug in almost 40% of cases of treatment for problem drug use last year – a 7% increase on 2023’s figures – according to a report by the Health Research Board.

Ireland also has one of the highest prevalence rates of cocaine use in Europe, with 8.3% of adults reporting that they had tried cocaine in a 2019 survey.

But while cocaine use is rising, alcohol consumption has been trending downwards for 25 years.

A report commissioned by the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland showed that average alcohol consumption per adult fell by 4.5% last year to 9.49 litres of pure alcohol.

This is a drop of more than one third (34.3%) since 2001.

When asked if there is a link between falling alcohol consumption and increasing drug use, Martin said “there could very well be a link between the two and that would be very worrying”.

He added that there needs to be “more scientific analysis” of the issue.

Martin was also asked if cocaine use is becoming an “epidemic” in Ireland, and replied: “I believe it is.”

He added: “From what I hear anecdotally, the use and prevalence of cocaine use has grown significantly and that is very worrying in terms of the health of the nation, for younger people in particular.

“It’s very bad for one’s health, apart from behavioural traits that can grow from it.”

And while Martin welcomed the “significant” decrease in alcohol consumption over the past 25 years, he noted that there “clearly is an increase in drug use”.

“Drugs kill people and we have to look at that from a Drug Harm Reduction Strategy and work with the Ministers for Health and Justice and others to try and really focus in on this issue.”

Meanwhile, Martin said that the cocaine seized in Courtmacsherry was headed for Britain and remarked: “It’s not just Ireland, it’s everywhere.”

He also noted that yesterday’s cocaine seizure in Courtmacsherry  is “not the first time this location has seen a huge consignment”.

In 2023, the largest seizure in the history of the State saw 2.2 tonnes of cocaine worth an estimated €157 million seized from the MV Matthew in Cork.

Martin also praised the co-operation of gardaí, the Naval Forces and the Defence Forces in this week’s Courtmacsherry seizure.

“What’s wonderful is the integration and coordination of all the agencies, working with European agencies as well,” said Martin.

“Multidisciplinary teams are the best in any field of life – breakdown the silos and if you work together, you can really catch traffickers and this has been a highly effective operation.”