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.