Ten prisoners rushed to hospital with suspected drug overdoses

The service say that extra Naloxone kits - used to temporarily reverse the effects of opiod drugs and often to keep a person alive until an ambulance arrives - have been secured in case of clinical intervention.. Picture: Leah Farrell/© RollingNews.ie

The Irish Prison Service is to ramp up security after ten inmates were rushed to hospital due to drug overdoses at the state's maximum security jail.

The medical emergencies at Portlaoise Prison have been linked to powerful synthetic opioids but toxicology tests were due to be completed to confirm the exact makeup of the substance taken by inmates.

A number of prisoners were in critical condition on Tuesday night. 

The incident comes on foot of recent warnings concerning the dangers of nitazenes, super-strength drugs that are much more potent than heroin.

The prison service has responded to the latest overdoses by securing extra naloxone kits, which help reverse the effects of opioid overdoses. 

The medication takes effect within minutes and has saved several people's lives already.

A spokesperson for the prison service said: “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. 

"Prison staff have increased the use of random and intelligence-led cell searches on a daily basis. Our canine unit carries 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.

"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."

Last month, the HSE issued a fresh alert regarding the highly potent nitazenes – which were responsible for 77 overdoses in Dublin and Cork late last year – after a new “cluster of overdoses” were recorded in the Mid-West and Galway, as well as Dublin.