Gardaí have arrested two men in Dublin as part of an ongoing investigation into an alleged organised crime group sneaking drugs and contraband into Irish prisons.
In a statement released today, Gardaí confirmed that the morning arrests were carried out by Lucan and Ronanstown-based officers from the Crime South division.
The suspects, one in his 30s and the other in his 40s, are currently being held at Dublin Metropolitan Region stations pursuant to the 1984 Criminal Justice Act.
Six people have now been arrested to date in connection with the same inquiry, with authorities noting that their investigations are continuing.
This latest development follows the apprehension of a man and a woman in their 20s earlier this month on September 7th. They were detained at a Dublin station in accordance with the 2007 Criminal Justice Act.
The broader investigation into illicit smuggling networks targeting Mountjoy, Wheatfield, and Cloverhill prisons previously led to extensive raids in April of last year.
During those operations, personnel from the Dublin Metropolitan Region South Serious Crime Unit, the Dublin Crime Response Team, and the Irish Prison Service searched several Mountjoy cells as well as residential addresses across the Dublin suburbs of Tallaght, Coolock, Ballyfermot, and Clondalkin.
The April 2025 searches uncovered a drone and small mobile devices bound in electrical tape that was believed to have been prepped for aerial delivery to inmates. The haul also included a Rolex watch, makeshift weapons, and €22,000 in cash.
Authorities additionally confiscated a quantity of narcotics, comprising €17,000 in cannabis, €5,000 in cocaine, and €3,000 in pills.
In June of last year Gript reported that prison staff had intercepted multiple delivery attempts at Wheatfield Prison involving thrown packages and a drone.
Moreover, according to Irish Prison Service data reported by Gript in December 2024, the number of illicit mobile devices intercepted within the system more than doubled between 2015 and 2023, rising from 626 to 1,272. Over that time, authorities confiscated a total of 9,286 phones.
Over 9,200 contraband phones seized in Irish prisons since 2015
During that same timeframe, officials logged 10,371 separate instances of drugs being recovered and 3,965 weapon seizures, leading to 869 arrests.
To help curb illegal communication, a €1.1 million investment was made to equip cells in Midlands, Limerick, Cloverhill, and Castlerea prisons with supervised landlines. The prison service has also deployed sniffer dogs and upgraded scanning technology to catch smuggled goods.