Republican Action Against Drugs
Encyclopedia
Republican Action Against Drugs (RAAD) is a vigilante
group active mainly in the Derry
, Strabane
and Newry
areas of Northern Ireland
. It targets those whom it claims are drug dealers
. The group's methods include "punishment shootings" (which often involves kneecapping); pipe bomb
or arson
attacks on the property of alleged dealers; and warning, threatening or banishing the alleged dealers.
in August 2009, the group's leadership explained: "We would monitor the actions of those who have come forward and, given an adequate period of time, interest in those drug dealers would cease and they could start to lead normal lives".
The group claims to have an intelligence network within the Derry area and stated, "We would never act unless we hold undeniable evidence that the person punished has been dealing in drugs. We regularly compile information on certain individuals – including CCTV footage and statements from those who have received drugs from these people".
As its name suggests, it comes from an Irish republican
background. In the 1990s, a group calling itself Direct Action Against Drugs
(DAAD) operated in Northern Ireland and used similar methods. Many believed that DAAD was linked to the Provisional Irish Republican Army
(Provisional IRA). On the topic of politics, RAAD's leadership said: "There is absolutely no political agenda within our organisation. Our only aim is to eliminate drug dealers from our society and put an end to them destroying our community". However, the RAAD leadership also claimed that some of its members have been involved with the Provisional IRA in the past, and added that Sinn Féin
members and officials "have approached us privately, claiming that they support what we are attempting to achieve". In an October 2010 interview with the Strabane Chronicle, a RAAD spokesman claimed that all of its members are former republican volunteers who support the peace process
.
The group was the focus of a BBC Northern Ireland
Spotlight documentary in 2010.
In April 2010, RAAD announced that its amnesty for drug dealers would end on 1 June 2010 and that anyone continuing to sell drugs afterwards could be killed. In early June, the Derry Journal reported that RAAD had ordered ten drug dealers to leave Derry immediately. The following month, it claimed that it had given another Derry man 48 hours to leave the country. At about the same time, a Derry teenager publicly apologised for having sold drugs after he was threatened by the group.
In November 2010 the Independent Monitoring Commission found that RAAD were responsible for an armed robbery on a money changing office, Euro Xchanger in March 2010
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
group active mainly in the Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, Strabane
Strabane
Strabane , historically spelt Straban,is a town in west County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It contains the headquarters of Strabane District Council....
and Newry
Newry
Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
areas of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It targets those whom it claims are drug dealers
Illegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
. The group's methods include "punishment shootings" (which often involves kneecapping); pipe bomb
Pipe bomb
A pipe bomb is an improvised explosive device, a tightly sealed section of pipe filled with an explosive material. The containment provided by the pipe means that simple low explosives can be used to produce a relatively large explosion, and the fragmentation of the pipe itself creates potentially...
or arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
attacks on the property of alleged dealers; and warning, threatening or banishing the alleged dealers.
History
The group formed in late 2008. Shortly afterward, it offered an "amnesty" to all drug dealers, asking them to make themselves known to the group before giving an assurance that they had stopped dealing. In an interview with the Derry JournalDerry Journal
The Derry Journal is a newspaper based in Derry, Northern Ireland, serving County Londonderry as well as County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. It is operated by a Johnston Press holding company entitled Derry Journal Newspapers. The paper is published on Tuesday and Friday and is a sister...
in August 2009, the group's leadership explained: "We would monitor the actions of those who have come forward and, given an adequate period of time, interest in those drug dealers would cease and they could start to lead normal lives".
The group claims to have an intelligence network within the Derry area and stated, "We would never act unless we hold undeniable evidence that the person punished has been dealing in drugs. We regularly compile information on certain individuals – including CCTV footage and statements from those who have received drugs from these people".
As its name suggests, it comes from an Irish republican
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
background. In the 1990s, a group calling itself Direct Action Against Drugs
Direct Action Against Drugs
Direct Action Against Drugs was a vigilante group in Northern Ireland that claimed responsibility for the killing of a number of alleged drug dealers...
(DAAD) operated in Northern Ireland and used similar methods. Many believed that DAAD was linked to the Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
(Provisional IRA). On the topic of politics, RAAD's leadership said: "There is absolutely no political agenda within our organisation. Our only aim is to eliminate drug dealers from our society and put an end to them destroying our community". However, the RAAD leadership also claimed that some of its members have been involved with the Provisional IRA in the past, and added that Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
members and officials "have approached us privately, claiming that they support what we are attempting to achieve". In an October 2010 interview with the Strabane Chronicle, a RAAD spokesman claimed that all of its members are former republican volunteers who support the peace process
Northern Ireland peace process
The peace process, when discussing the history of Northern Ireland, is often considered to cover the events leading up to the 1994 Provisional Irish Republican Army ceasefire, the end of most of the violence of the Troubles, the Belfast Agreement, and subsequent political developments.-Towards a...
.
The group was the focus of a BBC Northern Ireland
BBC Northern Ireland
BBC Northern Ireland is the main public service broadcaster in Northern Ireland.The organisation is one of the three national regions of the BBC, together with BBC Scotland and BBC Wales. Based at Broadcasting House, Belfast, it provides television, radio, online and interactive television content...
Spotlight documentary in 2010.
In April 2010, RAAD announced that its amnesty for drug dealers would end on 1 June 2010 and that anyone continuing to sell drugs afterwards could be killed. In early June, the Derry Journal reported that RAAD had ordered ten drug dealers to leave Derry immediately. The following month, it claimed that it had given another Derry man 48 hours to leave the country. At about the same time, a Derry teenager publicly apologised for having sold drugs after he was threatened by the group.
In November 2010 the Independent Monitoring Commission found that RAAD were responsible for an armed robbery on a money changing office, Euro Xchanger in March 2010
Timeline
The following is a timeline of actions that have been claimed by, or blamed on, Republican Action Against Drugs.2009
- 16 April: RAAD claimed responsibility for detonating a pipe bomb at a house on Balmoral Avenue, DerryDerryDerry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, County LondonderryCounty LondonderryThe place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
. - 8 June: RAAD claimed responsibility for detonating a pipe bomb under a car in ManorcunninghamManorcunninghamManorcunningham, or Manor is a small village and townland in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located 7 kilometers from Letterkenny on the main road to Derry...
, County DonegalCounty DonegalCounty Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
. - 7 October: RAAD claimed responsibility for kidnapping and shooting a 27-year-old man in the foot in Derry.
- 17 October: RAAD claimed responsibility for shooting a 17-year-old man in both legs at a house on Virginia Court, Derry.
- 6 December: RAAD claimed responsibility for planting five pipe bombs in Derry. Four targeted cars and the fifth was planted behind a house. Three of the bombs exploded.
- 11 December: RAAD claimed responsibility for kidnapping and shooting two men (aged 29 and 27) in the legs in Derry. One of the men later admitted that he had been involved in dealing "dodgy merchandise".
2010
- 27 January: RAAD was blamed for shooting a 52-year-old man in the legs at his shop on Waterloo Street, Derry. It is thought the man was targeted for selling 'legal highsLegal intoxicantsLegal intoxicants are intoxicating drugs which are not prohibited by drug laws. The most commonly used intoxicant is alcohol but many others are used including native intoxicating plants historically used by indigenous cultures and modern chemical intoxicating substances that have not been defined...
'. The attacker fled on a motorcycle. - 23 February: RAAD claimed responsibility for shooting a 29-year-old man in both legs on Rinmore Drive, Derry. In a statement to a local newspaper, RAAD claimed that the man had been warned about his activities and that he had been "punished" for failing to heed that warning.
- 28 March: RAAD claimed responsibility for exploding two pipe bombs in Derry. One exploded in a van on High Park and another exploded in a car on Carrickreagh Gardens.
- 28 March: RAAD claimed responsibility for planting an explosive device outside a head shopHead shopA head shop is a retail outlet specializing in drug paraphernalia used for consumption of cannabis, other recreational drugs, legal highs, legal party powders and New Age herbs, as well as counterculture art, magazines, music, clothing, and home decor; some head shops also sell oddities, such as...
in LetterkennyLetterkennyLetterkenny , with a population of 17,568, is the largest town in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. The town is located on the River Swilly...
, County Donegal. It was made safe by the security forces. In a statement, RAAD said it was the "first and only warning" the shop would receive. It closed shortly thereafter. - 30 March: RAAD claimed in a statement that its members had fired a shot at a house in DungivenDungivenDungiven is a small town and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is on the main A6 Belfast to Derry road. It lies where the rivers Roe, Owenreagh and Owenbeg meet at the foot of the Benbradagh. Nearby is the Glenshane Pass, where the road rises to over...
, County Londonderry. It added that the members "arrested" a man in the town who later "gave an undertaking to cease his activity immediately". - 13 April: RAAD were blamed for shooting a 24-year-old man in the leg at his house on Cable Street, Derry.
- 19 April: RAAD claimed responsibility for exploding two pipe bombs at houses in the Derry area. One exploded at a house on Spruce Meadows in CulmoreCulmoreCulmore is a village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is between Derry and Muff, at the mouth of the River Foyle. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 2,960 people.- History :...
and another at a house on Westland Street in Derry. - 19 April: RAAD claimed responsibility for shooting a 24-year-old man in both legs at a house on Lisnafin Park in StrabaneStrabaneStrabane , historically spelt Straban,is a town in west County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It contains the headquarters of Strabane District Council....
, County Tyrone. - 20 April: RAAD claimed responsibility for exploding a pipe bomb outside a house on Dunmore Gardens, Derry.
- 21 April: RAAD were blamed for exploding a pipe bomb outside a house on Anderson Crescent, LimavadyLimavadyLimavady is a market town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, with Binevenagh as a backdrop. It lies east of Derry and south west of Coleraine. It had a population of 12,135 people in the 2001 Census, an increase of some 17% compared to 1991...
. - 15 May: RAAD were believed to have been behind a gun attack on a house in NewryNewryNewry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
, County DownCounty Down-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
. - 21 May: RAAD were blamed for shooting an 18-year-old man in the leg in Newry.
- 22 May: RAAD were blamed for shooting dead a 25-year-old man in his home at Glebe Gardens, Strabane. He was shot once in each leg and once in the arm. The man had recently returned from England, after being threatened by RAAD for dealing cocaine. The gunmen told him to leave Northern Ireland within 24 hours. On 3 June, the man's then-vacant house was set alight.
- 23 May: RAAD were blamed for exploding a pipe bomb in a car at O'Nolan Park, Strabane.
- 27 May: RAAD claimed responsibility for exploding a pipe bomb at a house in Springhill Park, Strabane. The group said it was a warning to the owner to cease drug dealing.
- 28 May: RAAD claimed responsibility for planting a pipe bomb in Celtic Bar on Stanley's Walk, Derry. It failed to explode.
- 3 June: RAAD were blamed for exploding a pipe bomb inside a parked car in the Ballycolman area of Strabane. Four masked men smashed the car window and threw the bomb inside shortly after midnight.
- 3 June: RAAD claimed responsibility for exploding a pipe bomb inside a car in the Ardgrange area of Derry.
- 8 June: RAAD claimed responsibility for exploding a pipe bomb at the door of a house in the Ardgrange area of Derry. It said that the owner was a "career criminal" and was selling heroin.
- 8 June: RAAD claimed that it held a "show of strength" in the CregganCreggan, DerryCreggan is a large housing estate in Derry in Northern Ireland. It was the first housing estate built in Derry specifically to provide housing for the Catholic majority. It is situated on the outskirts of the city and is built on a hill. The name Creggan is derived from the Gaelic word creagán...
area of Derry. RAAD members allegedly searched a row of shops before firing 80 shots in the air using automatic weapons. - 15 June: RAAD claimed to have seized "several thousand" ecstacy pills from a criminal gang and handed them to a community worker in Derry for destruction.
- 25 June: RAAD were blamed for exploding a pipe bomb at the front door of a house on Hawthorn Drive, Derry. The house was owned by a convicted drug smuggler and his partner, who had recently been fined for drug possession. The group later claimed responsibility.
- 17 July: RAAD were blamed for shooting a taxi driver in both legs at Glebe Gardens, Strabane.
- 26 July: RAAD claimed responsibility for raiding a house in Dunmore Gardens, Derry. Four men entered the house (which was occupied) and fired shots before leaving. RAAD stated that the homeowner had ignored its warnings to stop dealing drugs. The man later admitted this, and claimed that he had stopped dealing drugs since the raid.
- 31 August: RAAD claimed responsibility for firing shots at a house in Dove Gardens, Derry. It also claimed to have discovered and destroyed 12 cannabis plants in a house a week earlier. When the PSNI responded to the incident they were attacked with petrol bombs and other missiles.
- 18 September: A RAAD member fired warning shots during a disturbance on Bligh's Lane, Derry. A news report claimed that shots were fired at a group of youths, but RAAD claimed that the shots had been fired "over their heads". In a statement to the Derry Journal, it said "We were left with no option but to act after the people involved attacked a house at Rinmore Drive to gain entry to drink and take drugs". It also claimed that the youths had been involved in "drug dealing, drug taking, joyriding, assaults, arson and intimidation of local residents" in the area.
- 17 October: RAAD claimed responsibility for shooting a 20-year-old man in the legs at his home in Slievemore Park, Derry. He had been convicted of assaulting an ambulance driver in 2007 and RAAD claimed that he continued to be involved in "anti-social behaviour and criminality".
- 23 October: RAAD claimed responsibility for shooting a 20-year-old man as he delivered food to a house in Creggan Heights, Derry. He was hit six times in the legs. The group claimed he was involved in drug dealing and that had been "under close surveillance" for the past ten months. The man later admitted being a drug dealer and claimed to have stopped after the shooting.
- 21 November: RAAD were blamed for exploding a pipe bomb inside a man's car at Cromore Gardens, Derry. The man, who was PortuguesePortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, denied being involved in drug dealing.
2011
- 7 March: RAAD claimed responsibility for firing shots at a house in Muff, County DonegalMuff, County DonegalMuff is a village in County Donegal, Ireland. It is near the mouth of the River Foyle and sits at the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The village of Culmore and the city of Derry are to the south...
. In a statement, it said it had "attempted to execute" a named individual, adding, "Only for a malfunctioning weapon he would be dead". On 24 May 2011, it claimed responsibility for an incendiary bomb attack on the same house. - 13 March: RAAD was blamed for shooting a 20-year-old man in the legs at Springhill Park, Strabane.
- 2 June: RAAD claimed responsibility for detonating a small bomb at the door of a house on Lecky Road, Derry. Shrapnel went through two nearby windows but there were no injuries. The group apologized for "causing any distress"
- 7 June : RAAD were blamed for the shooting of a man in the Lecky Road ,Derry. He was shot 5 times.