The 10 suspected overdoses by people at Portlaoise Prison have been linked to a synthetic opioid known as nitazene

Detective Chief Superintendent Seamus Boland said nitazene had been responsible for ‘multiple overdoses’ in recent months.

The Irish Prison Service said analysis conducted by the HSE confirmed the presence of a nitazene-type substance

A second sample of heroin associated with overdose clusters in Dublin has been found to include traces of nitazene