Drug death in Cork Prison could be linked to nitazene opiate

A suspected drug death in Cork Prison appears to be linked to nitazenes, but this has not been confirmed. Picture: Dan Linehan

A drug-related death of an inmate in Cork Prison last week could be linked to the nitazene synthetic opiate that is the subject of an ongoing HSE red alert.

The HSE expanded its alert last Friday to the prison system, after a number of suspect drug overdoses took place in two jails within the previous week.

The overdoses — thought to number around six — occurred in Wheatfield Prison, Dublin, and Cork Prison.

The locations mirror the incidents in the community, with 57 nitazene overdoses in Dublin last November and 20 overdoses in Cork.

It is understood at least one of the 20 overdoses in Cork was fatal, though this is still a subject of HSE investigations. The HSE has said that none of the incidents in Dublin resulted in a death.

The fact that the authorities manage to dramatically limit the number of deaths from nitazenes — which can be an estimated 50 to 500 times more powerful than heroin — has been put down to access to testing and speedy intervention by HSE and frontline services.

Last Friday, the HSE said its red alert had been “extended to Irish prison settings due to the presence of nitazene-type” substances identified in powder.

In a statement, the Irish Prison Service 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.” 

It is understood that only two jails have been affected — Wheatfield Prison and Cork Prison.

A suspected drug death in Cork Prison appears to be linked to nitazenes, but this has not been confirmed yet and won’t be known officially until an inquest is held in the coming years.

The Irish Prison Service statement added: “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.” 

A study by the EU drugs agency (Emcdda) in 2018 said sniffer dogs in prisons were not trained to detect synthetic drugs. 

It also said that because synthetic opioids, and synthetic cannabinoids, can be easily dissolved and sprayed onto paper and tobacco, it presents “considerable challenges” to prison staff to detect them coming into the prison.