Portlaoise: Prisoners hospitalised after suspected overdose

A prisoner remains in intensive care after a number of suspected overdoses at Portlaoise Prison.

Eleven prisoners in total required treatment on Tuesday.

Two remain in hospital in stable conditions.

The Irish Prison Service (IPS) said it is working closely with the Health Service Executive (HSE).

The substance involved in the suspected overdoses has been retrieved and sent for testing.

In July, the IPS issued an urgent drug alert to all prisons in following a detection of the drug nitazene.

In a statement today, the IPS said it had secured extra naloxone kits.

“Extra vigilance is being taken across the prison estate” and the IPS said it had commenced an “information campaign for prisoners around the dangers of consuming contraband”.

The prison service has also “increased the use of random and intelligence led cell searches on a daily basis”.

The IPS said their canine unit carries out searches around the prisons and has “a greater focus on searching deliveries into prisons”.

An Garda Síochána and the IPS engage to prevent contraband entering prisons.

The IPS said the sharing of intelligence has led to targeted searches which resulted in the seizure of contraband.