Rape pills sell for £1

Exclusive by Eimear Lowe

Rohypnol bought in Dolphin’s Barn

The drug has been linked with several cases of so-called ‘Date-Rape’.

The recent heroin seizures in the city have led to increased demand for the drug which addicts use to induce sleep when they go ‘cold turkey’. Given the drought which will inevitably follow these drug hauls, demand for the pills should escalate in the next few weeks.

The Liberty has learnt that around 4,000 of the tablets have left the south inner-city, bound for Ballyfermot. These are thought to be part of a batch which was stolen from a car near Charlemont Street clinic in January.

The drug, which is one of Roche Ireland’s most successful products, has caused controversy following an increase in reported sexual assault cases. The Rape Crisis Centre received over twenty phone calls last year from women alleging to have been raped while under the influence of the drug. "More than twenty women indicated they had been assaulted but had no memories from certain parts of the evening," said the centre’s director, Olive Braiden. The black market price for the drug has already doubled. Prior to the heroin seizures, ten Rohypnol pills could be purchased for as little as £5.

The tranquilliser, which was first authorised for use in Ireland in 1982 is tightly controlled by the Irish Medicine Board. This organisation has been following the reports of the drug being used in sexual assaults, but they are satisfied that the steps taken by Roche Ireland to make the pill more easily detectable will help to guard against such misuse.

The Rohypnol batch which was stolen from Charlemont Street is believed to contain the new, safer pills.

According to the manufacturers, if this Rohypnol is placed in liquid it will release a dye, thus alerting the potential victim to its presence.

Despite media coverage of this robbery, the Gardai Press Office have no record of it on file. A Garda spokesperson told the Liberty: "We have no copy of any press release regarding the theft of this drug. If such a robbery took place, we would surely have kept a record of it."

However several Dublin newspapers reported the theft of the drug. One journalist said: "I definitely saw a press release on this. There is no doubt in my mind that the Gardai sent a release to all the newspapers. I remember it sat on my desk for weeks."

Despite these conflicting reports, there is no doubt that the drug is easily obtained in the inner city. After only one day of enquiries, the Liberty was able to buy two of the notorious pills.

The pills are more commonly known as ‘purple hearts’, a deceptive title given the green colour and oblong shape of the tablets. These are only recent changes and it is to be hoped that they will help prevent future attacks.