Smuggling of synthetic opioids the suspected cause of prison overdoses
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Lethal synthetic opioids such as nitazenes may be being smuggled into prisons by prisoners returning from supervised day release and compassionate leave.
Dangerous drugs linked to 11 overdoses in Portlaoise Prison this week may have been brought in by a prisoner who had been visiting family members outside the prison, sources say.
People were rushed to the Midlands Regional Hospital following suspected drug overdoses at the prison on Tuesday.
“There is a suspicion that these drugs were smuggled in while a prisoner was out on an external visit," a prison source said. “Security on external visits [allowed on compassionate grounds or when a prisoner is nearing the end of their sentence] can be more lax. Cuffs are off.
“The suspicion is that the drugs may have been brought in this way.
“But prison officers can also smuggle contraband — mobile phones and whatever else — into the prisons.
Violence erupted in the hospital when two prisoners rushed there on Tuesday became aggressive and had to be restrained by up to five prison officers each, a source said.
“Two or three [of the prisoners who overdosed] were unconscious but one lad in particular looked like he was dying. They were really working on him.
“But a couple of them became violent and had to be restrained. It looked like they were affected by the drugs. I don’t think they even knew what they were doing. It was scary enough.”
The overdoses were just weeks after the Irish Prison Service (IPS) sent an urgent drug alert to prisons about a “nitazene-type substance” following a fatal overdose.
Nitazenes, a synthetic opioid, can be more potent than fentanyl which has devastated many communities in the US.
The drugs have been sent to Forensic Science Ireland for testing.
"I think an informed opinion would say that it’s probably going to turn out to be something like a synthetic opioid,” Garda National Drug and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) detective chief superintendent Seamus Boland said on Wednesday.
Drones have also been increasingly used to smuggle contraband into prisons. Portlaoise Prison recently installed a wire netting above the prison’s outdoor space to prevent contraband from being delivered by drone.
Prisons are “overstretched” at present with a record number of people incarcerated and the penal system operating at 112% capacity. Portlaoise prison was operating at 107% capacity this week, Irish Penal Reform Trust executive director Saoirse Brady told RTÉ.
The Prison Officers Association (POA) said that it is deeply concerned that the illegal smuggling of drugs into prisons had led to the serious illness of twelve prisoners at Portlaoise Prison, all of whom have been hospitalised.
“Over the years [...] we have raised the issue of overcrowding and illegal smuggling of drugs into our prisons," POA deputy general secretary Gabriel Keaveny said.
“Despite the best efforts of our members on the ground no significant action has been taken by the authorities to address the drugs issue in our prisons."
Mr Keaveney said that this week's overdoses was the second major incident involving illegal drugs in prisons in three weeks.
The IPS said that it is committed to preventing contraband including drugs getting into prisons.
"The Irish Prison Service has committed to continuing to invest in new technologies and measures to support our efforts to keep contraband out of prisons, a statement from the IPS said.
"Prison staff have increased the use of random and intelligence led cell searches on a daily basis. Our Canine Unit carry out searches around the prisons, including a greater focus on searching deliveries into prisons.
"The Operational Support Group work closely with their colleagues in An Garda Síochána on a regular basis and the sharing of intelligence has led to target searches resulting in the seizure of contraband."
Overdoses due to synthetic drugs are likely to worsen dramatically in the future, particularly in overcrowded prison settings, Green Party justice spokesman Patrick Costello TD warned.
“We have seen eleven prisoners taken to hospital after suspected overdoses at Portlaoise Prison in a situation that echoes the death of ‘Mr K’ in Cork Prison earlier this year. That death was likely due to a powerful synthetic opioid, Nitazene. Eight subsequent recommendations were given from the Office of the Inspector of Prisons. The Departments of Justice and Health must ensure that all these are implemented as soon as possible to prevent further harm.”