Prison upgrades nets in bid to catch drug deliveries

NETS which fishing crews are banned from using are helping stop the flow of drugs into Limerick prison.

Standard fishing nets erected over the exercise yards have been replaced by the tighter meshed monofilament nets to counter new methods devised to get drugs through the nets.

Monofilament nets are illegal for fishing. Standard fishing nets were erected to capture drugs being thrown in from a public road which runs alongside the prison wall, known as Jail Boreen.

However, the prisoners came up with new ‘delivery’ schemes to beat the standard fishing nets. Drugs parcels known as ‘stuffed tomatoes’ and ‘ice burgers’ were able to beat the nets and ensured some inmates had a steady supply of various drugs.

A prison source said: “Tomatoes were stuffed with tablets and small amounts of hash and other drugs wrapped in plastic and flung over the wall. When a tomato got caught in the netting birds would pick away at it until the drugs fell through onto the prison yard.”

Ice burgers also helped get drugs through the netting cover. The source added: “The ice burger is made by putting a small amount of water into a glass. This is then frozen. Drugs are put on top of the ice and more water poured on top of the ice and drugs. This again is put into a freezer and the glass is taken out and broken. This leaves a small block of ice with drugs in the middle. When the ice was thrown in over the wall it melted in the netting and the drugs fell through into the yard.”

However the new monofilament fine mesh traps even the smallest tablets and drug wraps.

The prison source said: “The meshing in the monofilament net is so tight and fine nothing gets through it. It even reduces the amount of sun light in the exercise yard. But we have to be always on the alert as new schemes will be hatched to get the drugs in over the wall.”