Weapons found on criminal AFTER 120km Garda prison trip

Sources have confirmed alarmed prison officers discovered the items in a backpack, following a prisoner handover from gardaí on April 29.

It is understood the prisoner was originally arrested in Waterford on April 27 while allegedly committing the offences of trespass and criminal damage.

He was further discovered to have a small quantity of cannabis on his person during a search at Waterford Garda Station.

The inmate appeared before Waterford District Court on April 29 in connection with the offences. At the sitting, he was remanded in custody to appear before the same court again on July 4.

It’s understood gardaí were then tasked to transport the inmate to Cork Prison, where he was to be held until that date.

Sources said the custody handover at the prison occurred later the same day. As officers were taking the inmate to the reception area, the weapons and syringes were discovered.

“There’s no suggestion he was trying to smuggle these weapons into the prison,” a source told the Sunday World.

“The bag and contents were always going to be searched on his arrival at the prison. And he had made no effort to conceal them.

“But there was surprise in the prison that these items had apparently not been discovered before it was handed over.

“The belief is that the prisoner had been camping and living rough in the lead up to his arrest.”

A spokesperson for the Irish Prison Service this week declined to comment on the discovery of the weapons saying it does not comment on matters relating to individual inmates.

Gardaí, in a statement, said: ”Investigations are ongoing following the discovery of offensive weapons in the possession of a prisoner in Cork Prison in April 2024. An Garda Síochána cannot provide any other comment on this ongoing investigation.

“All persons in Garda custody are searched for their safety and the safety of others and kept under Garda supervision at all times by members of An Garda Síochána.

“The searching of prisoners and other property at prisons is a matter for the Irish Prison Service.”

While the incident is not being treated as an effort by the prisoner to smuggle weapons into the prison, sources say it shows how prison officers play a key role in preventing the arrival of such items into the prison setting.

Earlier this year, the Sunday World revealed how a total of 308 weapons, 1,272 mobile phones, 1,294 drug packs were seized by prison officers last year.

Shockingly, arising from those seizures, a total of just 66 people have been arrested.

Speaking at the Prison Officers Association Annual Delegate Conference in Sligo last April, Karl Dalton, General Secretary said: “Despite the best efforts of our members on the ground, our prisons are being flooded with contraband, such as phones, drugs and a variety of weapons.

“From 2015 to 2023, the drug seizures entering prisons were up 160%, mobile phone seizures were up 203%, yet the number of related arrests by were down 52%.

“During the period the level of mobile phone seizures in Wheatfield Prison alone were up from 35 to 1,374 per year. “Over the same period in Cloverhill Prison drug seizures increased by 294% from 104 to 410 per year.”

Mr Dalton continued: “During 2023, our members seized 1,272 mobile phones, 1,294 drug packs and 308 weapons, which were being smuggled into our prisons… It is not acceptable that our members are still grappling with this smuggling problem on the ground, without the necessary support.

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