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Updated 4 minutes ago
MORE THAN 10,000 TABLETS, cocaine, alcohol and cell phones discovered today at Mountjoy Prison were destined for inmates belonging to the Kinahan cartel. TheJournal.ie has learned.
The Irish Prison Service (IPS) said the assets were seized following a security operation led by prison staff with the support of the prison-based operational support group (OSG).
The OSG is the intelligence service of a prison. It monitors communication between inmates and the outside world and alerts the prison administration if there is a suspicion that contraband will be brought onto campus.
This is the largest contraband seizure in a prison in Ireland, said the Irish Prison Service (IPS).
Early indications, confirmed by multiple sources, suggest that the smuggling was destined for the D wing in Mountjoy, where many of the low-level criminals of the Kinahan cartel are being held.
The Irish Prison Service (IPS) said the assets were seized from a van following a security operation led by prison staff with the support of the prison-based operational support group (OSG).
Some of the items seized at Mountjoy today.
Source: Irish Prison Service
The contraband was discovered in several boxes of food.
The driver of the van was taken into custody for questioning, but sources say he appears to be “completely confused” about what happened, and so far nothing has been discovered to indicate that he had knowledge of the illicit cargo prior to the seizure.
Gardaí and prison officials believe that the cache of drugs and other illegal items were to be delivered to the kitchen area where a prisoner with access to the facilities was to distribute them.
Phones seized in Mountjoy today.
Source: Irish Prison Service
The seizure was carried out following information received by prison officials.
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A Garda spokesperson said An Garda Síochána is assisting IPS in connection with the drug seizure this morning. Investigations are ongoing.
Irish Prison Service Director General Caron McCaffrey said this morning’s operation was “a very significant result” in the effort to “prevent dangerous contraband from entering the prison.”
“Given the scale of the contraband seized, it is highly possible that these drugs, had they reached the prison population, could have had a devastating impact on the prison population, including the potential for loss of life from overdoses,” McCaffrey said.
With reports from Orla Dwyer
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