HSE confirm new drug behind mass overdose at Portlaoise Prison

A newly detected drug caused the mass overdose event that left 11 Portlaoise Prison inmates in hospital.

The inmates were rushed to the Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise after falling ill last Tuesday, August 13. Several were treated in the ICU(Intensive Care Unit) while one was in a critical condition. 

Initially it was suspected that the inmates had consumed a synthetic opioid called Nitazene. The drug had previously led to a death in an Irish prison and the Irish Prison Service had issued a nationwide warning about that substance last July. 

However, following tests the HSE revealed the drugs involved were a newly detected synthetic Benzodiazepine called Clobromazolam.

HSE National Clinical Lead, Addiction Services, Prof Eamon Keenan said: “From the drug sample submitted by the Irish Prison Service to the HSE, following the recent overdoses in Portlaoise Prison, the HSE Emerging Drug Trends laboratory has identified there were no opioids involved, specifically no nitazenes (synthetic opioids).

“We did, however, identify a new synthetic Benzodiazepine, Clobromazolam. This is the first time this drug has been identified in Ireland. This is an extremely potent type of Benzodiazepine and is a sedative type of drug,”  he explained. 

While there were fears that the drug might be circulating in the community and could appear at festivals such as the Electric Picnic or in nightclubs, Prof Keenan said it wasn’t likely.

“It’s unlikely to be circulating in a festival or nightlife setting as the drugs used in those settings tend to be more stimulant type drugs,” he explained. 

He said the incident highlights the importance of testing for drugs at events such as the Electric Picnic. 

“The situation at Portlaoise Prison recently is an example of how volatile the drug market is. New substances are appearing on the market and causing harm quickly. They require rapid responses and for the HSE to respond effectively and provide credible information, we need to know the contents of new substances. This is why drug monitoring including ‘back of house’ drug checking is so important. Through timely analysis, it allows us to detect and rapidly respond to emerging drug trends and reduce harms among people who use drugs,” 

“While we always say that it is safer not to use drugs at all, back of house drug analysis offers us a unique opportunity to obtain and analyse substances for public health purposes and also to save lives,” he said 

The HSE said this drug has not been identified in other community settings. It advised people not to take illicit benzodiazepines as you can never be sure of the contents of powder or tablets obtained in this manner and they may be extremely harmful.

In a statement last Tuesday, the IPS said: “The Irish Prison Service is working closely with the HSE in response to a number of overdose presentations in custody. The Prison Service has secured extra naloxone kits in the event of clinical intervention. Extra vigilance is being taken across the prison estate and the Irish Prison Service has commenced an information campaign for prisoners around the dangers of consuming contraband.

The Irish Prison Service is committed to preventing the access of contraband including drugs into prisons and continues to be a high priority for the Irish Prison Service. 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.

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 Irish Prison Service continues to engage with An Garda Síochána with regard to preventing contraband entering our prison and this happens at both local and national level. 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.

There is a free confidential telephone line (1800 855 717) and text line (086 180 2449) which is operational. Prisoners, visitors, staff or members of the public with information on the trafficking of prohibited items into our prisons can pass on that information in the strictest confidence.  

The Irish Prison Service are committed to strengthening our measures in keeping drugs out of prison and in this regard a new Drug Strategy was published last November. This new strategy sets out clear measures to be taken by the Irish Prison Service to tackle the problem of substance abuse in prisons over the next three years.”