Rise in drug convictions in County Roscommon
Roscommon has recorded the second highest increase in the country.
The number of people convicted of drug offences in Roscommon has risen by 100%.
According to recent figures from the Roscommon district court office 13 people were convicted in 2024 but this rose to 26 last year. This is the second highest increase in the country, following behind Tullamore court office which recorded an increase of 180%.
In neighboring counties, Carrick-on-Shannon court office saw a 8% rise, Sligo remained static at 26 convictions recorded in both years, Longford saw a 24 % increase while in Mullingar the number pf convictions were down by 9%.
The figures were provided to Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, MEP and show that nationally 5,440 people were convicted in the district court system in 2025 on drug offences.
Ms Ní Mhurchú, a former barrister, said the disparity in drug convictions across district court offices warranted investigation. She added that drugs in the community were a major concern raised by parents, community leaders, pub owners, and gardaí.
The MEP has also previously highlighted a 37% year-on-year rise in drug-driving offences.
She has called for a raft of community-based sanctions against those convicted of recreational drug use, higher fines for casual drug use, more detox beds for those with addiction issues, restorative justice programmes and publicity campaigns to tackle social drug use.
