The Irish Prison Service (IPS) has raised an immediate warning due to a fatal overdose incident at an unidentified prison. The overdose was a result of nitazene, a highly potent synthetic opioid, which was identified through an examination conducted at the National Drug Treatment Centre Laboratory under HSE. Pills or powder can contain nitazene and it is frequently seen in a yellow tablet form.
The prison authority is collaborating with the HSE meticulously in order to respond to the detection of nitazene. The IPS reassures that their prison healthcare teams have ample supplies of naloxone for any need of clinical interventions. An information campaign cautioning prisoners about the risks of consuming non-prescribed illegal drugs has been initiated by the IPS amid heightened surveillance across all prisons.
The IPS informs that they have a toll-free confidential telephone line (1800 855 717) and text service (086 180 2449) in operation. If any information regarding drug trafficking into prisons comes to light, prisoners, staff, visitors or the general public are encouraged to communicate it confidentially.
In the preceding month, the synthetic opioid nitazene was reported to be detected in Ireland in a tablet form by HSE, causing an alert to be aired for the general public. Following reports of overdoses and hospitalizations in Dublin, Galway, and the midwest region, counterfeit benzodiazepine tablets were found to contain nitazene-type opioids.
The occurrence of concerning overdoses in homeless settings in Dublin’s inner city was notified to the HSE National Social Inclusion Office in November last year. A comprehensive review was initiated in response, scrutinizing various data sources for indication of changes in Dublin’s drug market. Between the 9th to 12th of November, when the majority of overdose clusters were reported, the HSE monitored data and recorded 57 non-fatal overdoses.
The presence of nitazenes in a light brown or sandy coloured powder on the Dublin heroin market was confirmed on the night of November 10th by Forensic Science Ireland through an analysis of a sample obtained by gardaí. Consequently, the HSE signaled a red alert for Dublin city. It was later identified as N-Pyrrolidino protonitazene, a new substance for Ireland that is currently under intensive monitoring by the EU Drugs Agency. In late 2023, nitazenes were implicated in 77 overdoses in Dublin and Cork.