DRUG convictions in the Limerick district courts were down 15 per cent from 2024 to 2025.
That figure, however, still positions Limerick the fifth highest in the country in 2025, with 211 people convicted of drug offences.
Limerick was one of just three cities where district court drug convictions dropped and saw the highest cut in convictions of the country’s four largest cities.
Nationally, drug convictions at this level of the criminal justice system rose by five per cent on the 2024 figures, to 5,440 in 2025, with huge fluctuations in convictions in different districts, ranging from an increase of 180 per cent in Tullamore to a drop of more than one third in Dundalk.
Ireland South MEP Cynthia Nà Mhurchú said the figures “are only the tip of the iceberg” and point to “a broader rise in drug use in Ireland that must be confronted head on”.
The former barrister said the disparity in drug convictions across district court offices warrants investigation, adding that drugs in the community are a major concern raised by parents, community leaders, pub owners, and GardaÃ.
The MEP previously highlighted a 37 per cent year-on-year rise in drug-driving offences.
The figures show that a small number of people were convicted in 2025 for attempting to smuggle drugs into prisons with greater numbers convicted of possession, possession for sale or supply, cannabis cultivation, and a small number of forged prescription cases.
Ms Nà Mhurchú has called for the swift implementation of the Government’s National Drugs Strategy, 2026- 2029, a policy initiative that is currently being finalised.
– Court Reporting Scheme