In this emotionally charged episode of Late Lines with Niall, we hear from a heartbroken single mother who discovered drugs in her teenage son’s bedroom. After confronting him, he admitted to selling them at school — not to use them — but to make money and ease the financial pressure on their struggling household. The twist? The drugs didn’t belong to him… and now, the dealer wants them back — or €2,000 in cash.

Faced with the terrifying threat of violence, the mother is torn: should she take out a credit union loan to bail her son out, or report everything to the Gardaí and risk things getting worse?

Listeners call in with their takes:

📞 "She absolutely cannot pay that debt. Once you pay them off, they’ll know you’re willing to cough up. That’s how blackmail starts." – Declan from Limerick, a former addict who turned his life around.

📞 "He’s 17. Still a child. He made a stupid decision, but he owned up and he’s scared. She needs to protect him, and that might mean paying this once — and making sure it never happens again." – Paula from Cork, a mother of three boys.

📞 "This is how gangs get their claws into good kids. The Gardaí need to be involved. If he's already out, he’s lucky. Don’t protect him from consequences — protect him from worse down the line." – John, a retired Garda from Sligo.

📞 "I think she should pay — but make him earn every cent back. Cleaning houses, working weekends. Let him learn the value of trust and money." – Siobhán, a single parent from Kilkenny.

📞 "She flushed the drugs — she did the right thing. But now she’s in a corner. That €2,000 might be the cost of peace. But what’s the cost of setting a precedent?" – Mick from Tallaght, whose cousin was pulled into gangland trouble.

💬 Tune in as Niall listens to real voices from around the country on a story that hits at the heart of parenting, poverty, loyalty, and fear. What would you do?