The Irish Prison Service has confirmed that there were ‘a number of overdose presentations in custody at Midlands Prison’ on Saturday.

RTE reported that ‘a drone dropped drugs into D yard on Friday’, which led to four prisoners being hospitalised.

The outlet’s source added: ‘Six prisoners overdosed, four were taken to hospital and one remains in hospital in an induced coma.’

The prison service previously said that its staff had increased the use of ‘random and intelligence-led cell searches on a daily basis’.

It explained that its canine unit has been carrying out searches around the prisons, ‘including a greater focus on searching deliveries into prisons’.

A statement read: ‘The Irish Prison Service continues to engage with An Garda Síochána with regard to preventing contraband entering our prison and this happens at both local and national level.’

The service also said that ‘extra vigilance’ is being taken and stopping contraband and drugs from entering the prison ‘continues to be a high priority’.

A spokesperson for Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said that he has been ‘briefed on the situation’ at the prison and ‘he will be kept updated as the response from the Irish Prison Service and the HSE continues’.

Meanwhile, the prison service has also appealed to prisoners, visitors, staff or members of the public with information regarding the trafficking of contraband to contact them.

There is a free confidential telephone line at 1800 855 717 and a text line at 086 180 2449.