It’s believed that an infamous figure from the underworld might have slipped a quantity of drugs into Portlaoise Prison, which led to no less than 11 inmates enduring overdoses. Each of these inmates were transported to the hospital subsequent to ingesting the drugs, but have since been given medical clearance and returned to their confinement.
Despite serious apprehension for the wellbeing of one inmate who was kept in the intensive care unit at Midlands Regional Hospital, Portlaoise until late Wednesday, he was discharged on Thursday afternoon. He was the final patient to go back to jail, where the health of those affected will be closely watched.
The authorities are investigating the origins of the drugs and the methods used for their infiltration into the high security institution, with the assistance of An Garda Síochána. Insiders suggest that law enforcement officials will question the overdosed prisoners who likely know the illicit substances’ secretive entrance into C Wing of the prison.
A substantial amount of the drugs intercepted in Irish prisons are said to be transported by the prisoners themselves who ingest narcotics encased in plastic, frequently in large sealed capsules, or through various other means. Certain prisoners who are temporarily released from prison for hospital or court visits, or on compassionate grounds, often devise strategies to procure drugs to sneak back into prison.
Alternatively, some are coerced by more domineering or aggressive cell mates to procure and illicitly transport drugs while outside prison, to smuggle them back into their confinement. Occasionally, seasoned criminals expecting a jail sentence on their court day will consume them in the hope of excreting and retrieving them once jailed.
The Garda probe is centred around determining which inmates from C Wing were recently afforded periods of liberty, even if it was for a few hours. Among the prisoners who became sick, one belonged to this category and the Garda anticipate they will soon question him and others.
The substance the incarcerated men are alleged to have taken prior to their sickness on Tuesday has been located within the prison and forwarded for analysis. The Garda hold suspicions that the drug held a concentration of powerful synthetic opioids that induced overdose symptoms in the group of men almost immediately after its consumption.
In response to inquiries concerning the investigation into the overdosed inmates and their current situation, in addition to the ongoing investigation, the Irish Prison Service stated that it “does not comment on individual inmate cases.”
Confirmation has come from Garda headquarters that an inquiry into the drug’s origin and how it was smuggled into Portlaoise Prison is in progress. “An Garda Síochána is in close collaboration with the Irish Prison Service, the Health Service Executive, and the National Drug Treatment Centre on this issue.”