Garda arrest 45 in crackdown on supply of drugs to Mountjoy

Some 45 people were arrested over the weekend as part of a major Garda operation to stop the supply of illegal drugs to prisoners at Mountjoy Prison.

In a series of raids last Friday and Saturday, gardaí from the North Central Division of the Dublin Metropolitan Region made 24 drug seizures that were believed to be destined for prisoners. Heroin and cannabis made up the bulk of the seizures. The majority of the arrests were made as the suppliers attempted to enter the prison posing as visitors. None of the drugs had been passed on to prisoners.

"The majority of those arrested were stopped just outside the prison and the gardaí were not involved in any searches of the prison," a Garda spokeswoman said.

It is understood that gardaí had been monitoring a number of individuals involved in consistently supplying drugs to prisoners for some time.