Crime & Law

Urgent alert issued after nitazine causes fatal overdose in unnamed prison

Irish Prison Service ‘working closely’ with HSE in response to detection of synthetic opioid which led to a series of overdoses last year in Dublin and Cork

Nitazenes were responsible for 77 overdoses in Dublin and Cork late last year. Photograph: Joe Lamberti/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Olivia Kelleher
Fri Jul 19 2024 - 07:58

The Irish Prison Service (IPS) has issued an urgent alert after the drug nitazene caused a fatal overdose in an unnamed prison.

The service said a substance was confirmed as being the potent synthetic opioid following analysis conducted by the HSE’s National Drug Treatment Centre Laboratory. Nitazene can be consumed in pill or powder form.

The IPS has indicated that they are “working closely” with the HSE in response to the detection of nitazene.

“Prison healthcare teams have adequate stocks of naloxone should clinical intervention be required. 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 non prescribed illegal drugs,” it said.

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“There is a free confidential telephone line (1800 855 717) and text line (086 180 2449) which is operational.

“Prisoners, visitors, staff or members of the public with information on the trafficking of drugs into our prisons can pass on that information in the strictest confidence.”

The HSE issued an alert to the general population last month about nitazene being detected in Ireland in tablet form.

The warning was issued after nitazene type opioids were found in counterfeit benzodiazepine tablets following overdoses and led to people needing hospital treatment in Dublin, Galway and the midwest.

The HSE’s National Social Inclusion Office was notified last November of concerning overdoses occurring in homeless settings in inner city Dublin. This triggered an urgent review across a number of information sources to identify possible changes in the Dublin drug market.

Nitazenes were responsible for 77 overdoses in Dublin and Cork late last year. Data was monitored by the HSE from November 9th to 12th, which was the main period when overdose clusters were reported.

Analysis by Forensic Science Ireland of a sample obtained by gardaí on November 10th confirmed the emergence of nitazenes in a light brown/sandy coloured powder on the Dublin heroin market. This resulted in the HSE issuing a red alert for drug users in the city.

The substance was later confirmed as N-Pyrrolidino protonitazene, which was a first identification in Ireland, and it has been under intensive monitoring by the EU Drugs Agency.