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DRUGS BATTLE
Prison killer drugs epidemic laid bare as bosses fear 41 inmates could overdose behind bars EVERY day
Bosses want the nasal Naloxone sprays to be delivered to all prisons
PRISON chiefs are preparing to deal with up to 41 opioid overdoses every day as they battle a tidal wave of hard drugs.
Ministry of Justice chiefs are looking for an annual supply of 15,000 special kits of medicine that reverses the effect of killers such as heroin, fentanyl and morphine.
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They want the nasal Naloxone sprays to be delivered to all prisons and probation offices with an annual bill expected to be more than £250,000.
The spray is administered when drug users are feared to have overdosed and works to relieve dangerous symptoms caused by high levels of opiates in the blood.
Information provided by the MoJ on the tender said: “The estimated volume of kits required could be 15,000 kits per year, to be delivered across the HM Prison and Probation Service estate.”
A two-kit pack costs £32 plus VAT, meaning the annual bill would be £240,000 plus VAT as well as delivery costs.
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The rise in overdoses is believed to be fuelled by the growth of synthetic opiates such as nitazenes and fentanyl.
Nitazenes are 250 times stronger than heroin. In 2022, 15 inmates in England and Wales died of unintentional overdoses on it.
MPs on the justice committee launched an inquiry last month into the high levels of drugs in prisons.
The group will look into the supply of drugs into jails, the involvement of organised criminal gangs in the distribution and trafficking of drugs in prisons.
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They will also examine the use of technology including drones and mobile phones in facilitating supply.
In October last year the MoJ revealed the number of drones sighted or reported in or around prisons in England and Wales had risen from 478 in 2022 to 1,063 in 2023.
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