DUBLIN was a city of grinding poverty, mass unemployment and a never-ending queue of young people seeking a future abroad when the heroin epidemic hit with catastrophic force.
Later, as the city transformed in the 1990s into a vibrant capital, ecstasy took over as the drug of choice and, later, a cocaine goldrush followed.
But, as street dealers became millionaires during five decades of drug abuse, what happened to those caught up in the party?
This week, as Sky Documentaries begins its Dublin Narco series, we chat with two people who became part of that incredible story.
Jessica Wade went from ecstasy dealer to chronic addict and drug mule, only to get sober and devote her life to working in addiction services. While one of the city’s first heroin users, Paul Tracey, spent 37 years on the drug before finally getting clean.
Nicola Tallant and Niall Donald chat with Jessica and Paul, who will both appear on the series to be screened from March 4, about their own real-life experiences and their journeys to recovery.

Crime World, with Nicola Tallant, is a weekly Iri…