Man (30s) charged after drone smuggling contraband into Midlands Prison crashes

A man is due in court after a drone attempting to smuggle contraband into Midlands Prison in Portlaoise crashed into the nearby Prison Officers’ Training College on Tuesday afternoon.

The man (30s) will appear before Tullamore District Court on Wednesday morning.

Another man (40s) has been released without charge while a file is prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The two men were arrested by gardaí after the drone crashed into the roof of the training college.

It was subsequently recovered by the Laois Fire and Rescue Service alongside a package containing mobile phones and suspected cannabis and tablets.

The contraband will undergo a forensic examination to confirm its contents.

Gardaí began a of the area after officers at Midlands Prison were notified of drone activity. It is understood the two men were found in the grounds of the nearby Midland Regional Hospital.

“Gardaí responded to a report of drone activity in the vicinity of the Portlaoise Prison Campus, Co Laois, this afternoon,” a statement said.

A spokesman confirmed the Irish Prison Service ( IPS ) is working with An Garda Síochána in relation to the incident.

“As the matter is subject to Garda investigation, it would not be appropriate to further,” a statement said.

Separately, nine inmates overdosed and three required hospital treatment following an incident at Midlands Prison last month .

At the time, a representative for the IPS said the suggestion that the drugs involved arrived in the prison via drone was a “good assumption”.