At least 11 inmates from Portlaoise Prison, including three in critical condition, have been hospitalised following possible drug overdoses, indicating an increase from the initial figure of eight on Tuesday. The affected inmates were all residing in the C Wing of the prison, which stands as the sole maximum security facility of the State.
It is reported that these prisoners are currently receiving treatment at Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise, which is located adjacent to the prison in the town of Co Laois. Authorities report the discovery and subsequent analysis of an unidentified white powder, thought to be a powerful synthetic drug. The exact nature of this substance remains unconfirmed, pending results from laboratory testing.
The number of prisoners hospitalised remains ambiguous, with the Irish Prison Service stating that a total of 11 prisoners are under treatment, three of whom are in the ICU. At least one of these prisoners is believed to be in a life-threatening condition. In contrast, the Prison Officers Association (POA) posits that 12 inmates have been hospitalised, warning that this figure may fluctuate as patients are discharged throughout the day.
The POA has voiced serious concern over these incidents, blaming the illicit drug trafficking into the prisons for the grave condition of the inmates from Portlaoise Prison. Deputy general secretary Gabriel Keaveny criticised the lack of substantial action from the authorities to tackle drug problems within prison environments despite their continuous warnings. The association also suggested that drones delivering drugs, mobile phones, and weapons to prisons on a nearly daily basis are part of the larger consequence of government and prison authority inaction over the years.
The Irish Prison Service is handling the instance as a significant occurrence, which appears to mark the latest in a sequence of similar instances where users of narcotics have overdosed, some fatally, after ingesting exceptionally powerful synthetic substances from an identical batch. The growing preference for synthetic narcotics amongst habitual and heavy drug users is a specific worry for those in charge of penitentiaries.
When narcotics are illicitly brought into prisons, they are typically quickly used up by a sizeable group of inmates, showing that particularly potent or adulterated batches can lead to numerous immediate overdoses. The amount of synthetic drugs that users ingest is typically smaller than other types of drugs, meaning that synthetic drug batches are simpler to hide for illegal importation into correctional facilities.
Among the affected prisoners is a lifer for a gang-related homicide that resulted in the death of a man deeply engaged in bringing drugs into the Irish Republic on behalf of criminal gangs in Dublin.
The prisoners seemed to think they were using spice, a synthetic variety of cannabis. However, over the past few years, there have been multiple cases of overdosing leading to warnings to drug users from the HSE and Garda about the potential hazards of ingesting drugs for the fear that they might contain nitazene-type synthetic opioids.
The Irish Prison Service recently sent out an urgent warning following a fatal overdose in a prison due to nitazene use. The service announced that the consumed substance was verified to be the powerful synthetic opioid following an analysis carried out by the HSE National Drug Treatment Centre Laboratory. Nitazene can typically be found in tablet or powder form, often appearing as a yellow pill.
In response to enquiries on Tuesday, The Irish Prison Service stated that it was working in direct collaboration with the HSE to manage numerous instances of overdoses in custody, though there was no specific mention of Portlaoise Prison.
The prison service has added more naloxone kits in anticipation of clinical intervention, while extra precautions are being taken throughout all of the prison estates. In addition, The Irish Prison Service has embarked on an awareness campaign for prisoners concerning the risks associated with consuming illicit substances.
The Irish Prison Service remains dedicated to preventing the influx of contraband, including drugs, into prisons and this continues to be given high priority. The Irish Prison Service is committed to ongoing investment in new technologies and approaches to bolster efforts in preventing contraband access in prisons.
Prison personnel have escalated their daily practice of scheduled and informed cell inspections while their sniffer dog squad performs examination procedures in and around the prison premises, with increased attention towards monitoring jail deliveries. The prison authorities highlighted their collaborative work with local law enforcement to impede the influx of drugs into correctional facilities.
The logistics support group frequently collaborates with their counterparts in An Garda Síochána, with the intelligence exchanged leading to specified searches and subsequent seizures of banned items, reported the prison service.