Prison Service issues statement following suspected overdoses at Portlaoise Prison

The Irish Prison Service has issued a statement following a number of overdoses at Portlaoise Prison. 

It’s reported eight inmates from Portlaoise Prison were taken to the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise today suffering from overdoses.

Last month the Irish Prison Service issued a National Drug Alert for prisons in relation to the drug nitazene following a fatal overdose in a prison. 

Following the suspected overdoses today, the Irish Prison Service has issued a statement. 

“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,” the statement concluded.