Prison killer drugs epidemic laid bare as bosses fear 41 inmates could overdose behind bars EVERY day

PRISON chiefs are preparing to woody with up to 41 opioid overdoses each time arsenic they conflict a tidal question of hard drugs.

Ministry of Justice chiefs are looking for an yearly proviso of 15,000 peculiar kits of medicine that reverses the effect of killers specified arsenic heroin, fentanyl and morphine.

They privation the nasal Naloxone sprays to beryllium delivered to each prisons and probation offices with an yearly measure expected to beryllium much than £250,000.

The spray is administered erstwhile drug users are feared to person overdosed and works to relieve unsafe symptoms caused by precocious levels of opiates successful the blood.

Information provided by the MoJ connected the tender said: “The estimated measurement of kits required could beryllium 15,000 kits per year, to beryllium delivered crossed the HM Prison and Probation Service estate.”

A two-kit battalion costs £32 positive VAT, meaning the yearly measure would beryllium £240,000 positive VAT arsenic good arsenic transportation costs.

The emergence successful overdoses is believed to beryllium fuelled by the maturation of synthetic opiates specified arsenic nitazenes and ­fentanyl.

Nitazenes are 250 times stronger than heroin. In 2022, 15 inmates successful England and Wales died of unintentional overdoses connected it.

MPs connected the justness committee launched an enquiry past period into the precocious levels of drugs successful prisons.

The radical volition look into the proviso of drugs into jails, the engagement of organised transgression gangs successful the organisation and trafficking of drugs successful prisons.

They volition besides analyse the usage of technology including drones and mobile phones successful facilitating supply.

In October past twelvemonth the MoJ revealed the fig of drones sighted oregon reported successful oregon astir prisons successful England and Wales had risen from 478 successful 2022 to 1,063 successful 2023.