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Heroin, cocaine and 14 mobile phones found in one wing of Mountjoy Prison

The search was based on intelligence gathered.

A SEARCH AT Mountjoy Prison has turned up 14 mobile phones and a large quantity of drugs.

The Prison Service says that a search of the C wing in the prison was undertaken as a part of the prison’s attempts to stop drug smuggling.

A statement from the Irish Prison Service says:

“The Irish Prison Service can confirm that as part of security measures to prevent the supply of contraband in prisons a general search, conducted by the Operational Support Group, was undertaken in the C Wing of Mountjoy Prison.

“The search commenced at 7am this morning and was a planned intelligence led search.

“The operation included a search of all cells and common areas on the C Wing.

As a result of the search 14 mobile phones and phone chargers were discovered. In addition, drugs including tablets, heroin and cocaine were also discovered.

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25 Comments
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    Mute Bob O'Driscoll
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    Nov 4th 2014, 3:16 PM

    Why not do a ‘search’ every week?

    237
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    Mute Philip King
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    Nov 4th 2014, 10:22 PM

    Guards don’t work in prison. That would be prison officers.

    32
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    Mute andrew
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    Nov 4th 2014, 3:05 PM

    The search was based on intelligence gathered

    Must have taken some time. Proably easier to find the cocaine than the intelligence

    174
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    Mute Dirk Diggler
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    Nov 4th 2014, 3:15 PM

    It’s very easy to jam mobile phone signals, i cant see why they don’t use this tech.. in prisons.

    168
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    Mute Dirk Diggler
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    Nov 4th 2014, 3:20 PM

    Surely a quick sniffer dog patrol every day would root out a lot of the drugs. It’s probebly easier to leave drugs in to keep the peace. A PR search every now and again to keep the powers that be happy.

    129
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    Mute Reg
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    Nov 4th 2014, 3:06 PM

    Elmo had it under the pillow. No wonder it was found!

    154
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    Mute Martin Sinnott
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    Nov 4th 2014, 3:02 PM

    “Intelligence led” they were looking @ Love/Hate

    100
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    Mute peter
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    Nov 4th 2014, 3:48 PM

    They should not have tv’s, radios and mobile phone signals should be blocked so even if they had a phone it would be useless.
    The net over the yard to catch drugs should be doubled or trebled to reduce the amount that gets in.
    Any one with a previous conviction should not be allowed make a visit.
    They should have toilets instead of pots and they should have a course on life skills and courses they make being employed easier as prison is about reform not just locking people away.

    85
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    Mute Shawn Rahoon
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    Nov 4th 2014, 3:12 PM

    How could they have missed the 72inch tv?

    80
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    Mute Silent Majority
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    Nov 4th 2014, 3:16 PM

    I don’t understand prison drug trades. Presumably drugs are more expensive than on the street due to increased risks, and they ain’t cheap on the streets, so how do prisoners pay for them?

    71
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    Mute Darren Connolly
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    Nov 4th 2014, 3:26 PM

    Quite simply they use there mobile to ring a loved one who meets some from the prisoner selling its family and pays them the agreed price….
    Ecery week a tennies ball will be hit over the wall at an agreed time when prisoners are in the yard the risks are actually less yet again they agree this time by a mobile phone call

    48
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    Mute Colin Howell
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    Nov 4th 2014, 3:22 PM

    That they can charge their phones is surprising

    50
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    Mute Darren Connolly
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    Nov 4th 2014, 3:28 PM

    its not really when prisoners doing life have TV s in there cells

    32
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    Mute Colin Howell
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    Nov 4th 2014, 7:54 PM

    Yes but access to electricity is hardly a good thing to have in a prison cell. Potentially dangerous

    4
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    Mute Dermot Ryan
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    Nov 4th 2014, 3:24 PM

    “Anything going on tonight?”
    “Party in Wing F. Tonight !”

    38
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    Mute Andrew McQuillan
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    Nov 4th 2014, 6:17 PM

    And still the Irish media treat John Lonergan as if he was some kind of wise visionary, rather than someone who benignly oversaw this tolerated drug den from start to finish during his term as governor.

    I’m convinced there must be a genuine desire of the authorities to NOT address the drug problem (with the exception of PR smoke screens like today).

    Preventing solid items from entering an enclosed and heavily guarded premises should not be as impossible as it appears to be in the Joy.

    So are the criminals unbelievably clever? Or the guards unbelievably complicit?

    24
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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Nov 4th 2014, 9:15 PM

    Andrew its neither. It more a lack of resources. There are only 6 OSG staff on duty each day in Mountjoy. 3 of which work in the visitor search area and the other 3 are tasked with searching cells, listening in to prisoner phone calls and gathering intelligence. The other Staff in in Mountjoy are given approx 15- 20 mins per day to do a daily search of 2 Cells on each landing. Now its not just Prison Officers that work in Mountjoy there are several diffrent groups of civilian staff from Teachers, Psychologists, Dentists, Doctors, Pharmacists, Probation Officers, Delivery men and with all the renovation going on Contractors and their vehicles.
    What you don’t hear about are the arrests on a daily basis of people being caught attempting to smuggle contraband. To make Mountjoy or any prison completely contraband free would require a massive boost in both manpower and resources both of which cost money. Money the Government are not prepared to spend and I a sure most Tax payers are not prepared to fund. So Officers do the best they can with one hand tied behind their back and one eye covered.

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    Mute Niall Donnelly
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    Nov 4th 2014, 5:59 PM

    It can be easily sorted. Just make it compulsory for every SIM card to be registered with id and proof of address.

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    Mute Thierry Rat
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    Nov 4th 2014, 3:00 PM

    This isn’t news

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    Mute Paperboy2
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    Nov 4th 2014, 3:12 PM

    It is news if you haven’t heard about it already…

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    Mute Zoltar
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    Nov 4th 2014, 10:26 PM

    They can’t even control drugs in prisons…

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    Mute John Waters
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    Nov 4th 2014, 3:26 PM

    Must be Frann and co from Love Hate lol

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    Mute Emer Caffrey
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    Nov 4th 2014, 10:23 PM

    how hard can it be to block coverage to mobiles in a confined area, simple

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    Mute Kustin J Crush
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    Nov 5th 2014, 12:17 AM

    I just wonder how it coats 70k each year to keep someone in jail, it isn’t as if they have to hire a guard for each lag!

    1
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