Five overdoses at Cork Prison in 14 months; 269 drug seizures since 2020

There have been five overdoses in Cork Prison since August 2024 and 269 drug seizures since 2020, new figures from the Department of Justice have shown.

Data provided to the department by the Irish Prison Service (IPS) shows that there have been 269 drug seizures in Cork Prison since 2020.

These include 46 drug seizures in 2020, 69 in 2021, 42 in 2022, 36 in 2023, 40 in 2024, and 36 in 2025 up to the end of September.

The 2025 figure is an average of four seizures a month so far, up from 3.3 in 2024, three in 2023, 3.5 in 2022, and 3.8 in 2020, though below the high of 5.8 a month in 2021.

There have been a total of 7,452 drug seizures nationally since 2020.

The number of drug seizures nationally was also highest in 2021. The figures for 2025 look set to overtake 2024 figures, with 976 seizures so far this year nationally, compared to 1,035 in the entirety of last year.

Further data was provided by the minister for justice in response to a parliamentary question that was asked by the Labour Party TD Conor Sheehan, who had requested the number of drug overdoses in the prison system, broken down by prison, between 2020 and now.

Mr O’Callaghan explained that prior to August 2024, the IPS did not collate data on the number of drug overdoses in the prison system.

He provided a table of overdoses per prison in the last 14 months, which showed that there had been a total of 92 overdoses in Irish prisons, five of which were in Cork Prison.

Mr O’Callaghan said that preventing access to contraband into prisons “continues to be a high priority” for the IPS, as does treating addiction in prisons.

“It is estimated that up to 70% of the people in custody have addiction issues,” the minister for justice said.

“The reality is that some of those with active addiction issues may continue their drug-seeking behaviour inside prison, notwithstanding the supports that are available to address their addiction,” he added.

Mr O’Callaghan explained that the IPS is “always alert to the dangers posed by illicit substances within the prison environment and, as well as using technological, structural, intelligence, and more routine operational methods to prevent contraband entering prisons, also engages in awareness campaigns directed at those in custody”.

Through partnership with the HSE and the Irish Red Cross, the IPS recently launched an initiative promoting naloxone, a drug that can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, and, in 2024, the IPS delivered a programme of both random and intelligence-led operational drug testing for prisoners.

They are working in conjunction with the HSE to source further drug-testing capability.

The Echo previously revealed that as of August 31, 2024, some 114 inmates had engaged with the prison’s addiction service that year, and the waiting list on the same date was almost as high, at 108.

Advocates for the sector have expressed concern that many people serving short sentences leave the prison without ever being able to engage with addiction or psychological services, and may return to the prison on another short sentence soon after and be placed at the back of the list again.

In total, 222 people were either waiting for or engaging in addiction services in Cork Prison, representing just over 67% of the prison’s population on that date.

On that date, there were 310 people in custody at the prison, 14 more than the 296 beds available.

Since then, overcrowding has continued to increase, with 403 inmates in the prison in August this year, a 30% increase from the previous year.

The figure has fallen slightly since then, but Cork Prison continues to be operating well over capacity.

There were 377 people in custody, representing 127% capacity, last Friday, the highest level of overcrowding in any men’s prison in Ireland on that day.

The Irish Penal Reform Trust has expressed concern about this overcrowding having a knock-on effect on access to services, including addiction treatment.