Mobile phone use in prisons on the radar again
When gang leader John Daly rang RTÉ’s Liveline programme on his mobile phone from his cell on E1 landing in Portlaoise in May 2007, it caused outrage, not least to then justice minister Michael McDowell.
It led to a crackdown and the promised introduction of security measures aimed at stemming the flow of mobile phones and drugs into prisons, as well as research into technology to block the use of phones from prisons.
It highlighted the problem, which had been previously raised by gardaí, of the use of mobile phones by criminals, including gang bosses, inside jails. Gardaí knew, from intelligence, including the monitoring of phone calls, that gang leaders were organising business — from drug shipments to shootings — inside jail.
E1 landing contains some of the top drug bosses in the State, including John Gilligan, his former No 2 Brian Meehan — the only member of the Gilligan gang convicted of the murder of Veronica Guerin — Limerick crime boss Christy Keane and another man, who is head of a big drug gang in south Dublin.
After the Daly phone call, Portlaoise governor Ned Whelan, who had only recently arrived in the jail, ordered searches be carried out on E1 landing.
The raids led to the confiscation of contraband material, including mobile phones, electrical equipment, two budgies and nine plasma TVs, one belonging to Gilligan.
It subsequently emerged the televisions were ordered and paid for by the prisoners through a “tuck-shop system” sanctioned by senior management for more than 30 years. Mr Whelan ended this system.
But the problem of mobile phones did not go away. Portlaoise, as a high-security prison, always had a more thorough screening system at point of entry.
This according to the Prison Service has been “beefed up” under the new security measures — including X-ray scanners, walk-through detectors, dog units and dedicated search teams.
However, last August a mobile phone was found in Gilligan’s cell. Then, last Tuesday, it was reported one of the largest drug and gun hauls in the state was allegedly organised by Meehan using a mobile phone.
A Garda source confirmed they were investigating an organised crime group and that Meehan formed part of this probe.
Gardaí are understood to have searched his Portlaoise cell on Tuesday. However, it is thought they did not catch him with a phone or find one in his cell.
Justice Minister Dermot Ahern insisted that Portlaoise was a high-security prison, despite the recent incidents. “Nothing is surprising in the efforts in the prison population and those outside to get items into prison. It is an ongoing battle. The Prison Service are using the latest technology in order to ensure items that are illegal items don’t get in.”
He said the security measures brought in within the last year have reduced the flow into prisons.
“You see in recent times, with the tightening of the regime, that people are going to the ultimate extremes to get items into prisons. It’s a constant battle for the Prison Service to respond to every trick in the book to prevent items getting in.”
Contrary to media reports, Mr Ahern said it would be “naive” to think that one prisoner in Portlaoise directed the entire shipment of guns and drugs from the Netherlands through the north and into the republic.
In relation to the pilot of the mobile phone blocking technology at the Midlands Prison, Mr Ahern said it had been “very successful” and was working. He said it would be rolled out to other prisons, but added “if we can”. He said the main problem was putting in place a blocking system that did not affect areas neighbouring prisons. This includes hospitals, which adjoin the Midlands and Portlaoise prisons, Mountjoy Prison as well as Wheatfield and Cloverhill prisons.
The Prison Service said the technology was at the “fine-tuning” stages.
