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Portlaoise Prisoners made their own phone chargers... but they were seized today

Hooch, tablets and a mobile phone were also found in today’s search.

OVER 21 LITRES of homemade alcohol, 189 assorted tablets and three improvised phone chargers were all part of haul of contraband confiscated after a search in Portlaoise Prison this morning.

At 7am, the C Block of the prison was searched by the Operational Support Group, as part of an intelligence led search.

The group is tasked with preventing contraband entering prisons and detecting prohibited items.

As a result of the search the following items were seized:

  •  1 mobile phone
  • 189 total assorted tablets
  • 3 improvised phone chargers
  • 21 litres of Hooch
  • 1 USB stick.

TheJournal.ie asked the Prison Service what exactly does an “improvised phone charger” entail?

These items are apparently phone chargers made by prisoners by rigging wires up to the back of radios, allowing them to charge a phone. There you have it.

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37 Comments
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    Mute bob®
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    Nov 11th 2014, 7:51 PM

    Great ingenunity, pity they can’t use that outside walls to benefit society and themselves in a positive way.

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    Mute Tom Red
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    Nov 11th 2014, 7:57 PM

    Jesus my local Dunnes don’t have half the stuff they found in Portlaoise prison..

    277
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    Mute Powerful Sayings
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    Nov 11th 2014, 7:48 PM

    They are obviously into there technology. Still wouldn’t fancy smuggling a tablet up my arse.

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    Mute John Mulligan
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    Nov 11th 2014, 7:51 PM

    I wouldn’t fancy swallowing a tablet you’d smuggled up your arse.

    267
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    Mute Ron North
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    Nov 11th 2014, 9:17 PM

    That explains why thy didn’t have the chargers.

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    Mute Celticspirit321
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:41 PM

    There, their, and they’re.

    50
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    Mute Ron North
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    Nov 11th 2014, 11:22 PM

    Thee, Thy, Thine, Thou.

    22
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    Mute Daithí Ó'Céileachair
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    Nov 12th 2014, 8:57 AM

    Dees dose and dudders

    3
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    Mute Powerful Sayings
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    Nov 12th 2014, 10:11 AM

    Ding dong dedero

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    Mute Dave J
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    Nov 11th 2014, 8:05 PM

    why dont they make prisoners work, creating this kind of stuff for the prison. prison can sell it off and help reduce the costs of keeping them there,

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    Mute Larry L'Oiseau
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    Nov 12th 2014, 12:30 AM

    Don’t be ridiculous Dave- prisoners *work* to benefit the society upon which they preyed ??
    The advocacy groups like ‘prisioners rights’ (surely an oxymoron) would be up in arms at that very worthwhile suggestion and the authorities would be scared to tell them to f*** off.

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    Mute James McDermott
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    Nov 11th 2014, 9:51 PM

    So they found three phone chargers and one phone…

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    Mute Patrick Murphy
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:54 PM

    Something tells me they may have missed a few things!

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    Mute Dsl
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    Nov 11th 2014, 8:15 PM

    Pity they can’t be so creative when it comes to finding a legal occupation

    82
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    Mute Unfortunately
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    Nov 11th 2014, 8:50 PM

    What they need mobile phones in Portlaoise for, there is hardly any mobile reception anyway. Unless they were just playing snake.

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    Mute Bob Goodbear
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    Nov 11th 2014, 8:27 PM

    So many Tablets and only 1 phone. Did they use the Prison Wifi with the tablets or a SIM card. Android or iOS wonder?

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    Mute Conor Hickey
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    Nov 11th 2014, 8:32 PM

    That’s not PC

    42
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    Mute Aidan Molyneux
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    Nov 11th 2014, 8:09 PM

    Did they find any broken pool cues in the shower room

    59
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    Mute Aidan Molyneux
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    Nov 11th 2014, 11:40 PM

    Over ninty thumbs down that must have ve been a sore pointbut it could prove there are still phones in there

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    Mute Traolach O'Breasail
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    Nov 11th 2014, 7:54 PM

    Have they got water meters in the cells

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    Mute CreditTiger
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    Nov 12th 2014, 6:50 AM

    Nah, don’t be soppy…..but O’Brien and cohorts most likely have the provision of subsidised correctional services vigilantly clocked for future profitisation!

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    Mute Steve M
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    Nov 11th 2014, 8:59 PM

    Prison in this country sounds more like a country club than a jail. Laughable

    52
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    Mute O'Flaherty Karl
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    Nov 11th 2014, 9:51 PM

    you mean you are not a member of mountjoy pitch and putt club!

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    Mute CreditTiger
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    Nov 12th 2014, 6:39 AM

    Should see the cue for the pool club since sunday!!

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    Mute E
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    Nov 11th 2014, 9:33 PM

    How’s it going in there lads?

    Just checking if things comfortable enough for yee in our €1000 a night crime hotels?

    47
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    Mute Marguerite Dorgan
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    Nov 11th 2014, 9:14 PM

    189 assorted tablets? Like disprin and ecstasy and the likes is it?

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:06 PM

    Valium, Tamazepam,Diazepam etc. All prescription Meds.

    26
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    Mute captain ireland
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    Nov 11th 2014, 8:25 PM

    Ok , it’s not exactly big seizure of the century.. Just 1 mobile phone , that’s pathetic. As for the USB stick , teachers are allowed to bring them in for educational purposes.. It was obviously stolen from a teacher , or a gullible teacher simply gave it to a prisoner. Mystery solved !!

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    Mute Graham
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    Nov 11th 2014, 9:38 PM

    There has to be network solution to this. How many mobile-cells or base stations are there in this location. Could the mobile-cell(s) be configured to only accept numbers predetermined or registered on that mobile – cell and disregard the rest ie prisoners numbers. Seems like a ridiculous problem for prisons when networks surely have all the control. They should have talks with mobile providers for options.

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    Mute Unfortunately
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    Nov 11th 2014, 9:58 PM

    Look it’s Portlaoise – their base stations barely accept anything at all.
    Whoever put jail in there was a mastermind – only better place I can think of is maybe middle of Syberia, South Pole or Alaska.

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    Mute Graham
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:08 PM

    Well there base stations obviously accept enough traffic if the prisoners bothered with the risk to have phones in the first place. Don’t think they have them just for the craic or for keeping up appearances.

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    Mute Unfortunately
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:24 PM

    Graham you’re thinking too much. So if some tourists came from abroad and came to Portlaoise (God knows for what, but let’s leave it aside for a minute…) so they couldn’t use their phone as they wouldn’t be registered on Portlaoise cell masts. Right? Not possible technically so let’s don’t dwell on that.

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    Mute TheLoneHurler
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:53 PM

    The jail was there before the mobile phone towers!

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    Mute Graham
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    Nov 11th 2014, 11:20 PM

    You see the unfortunate problem ‘unfortunately’ is that you’re not even attempting to think yourself. Just accept and move on is it?! Even a tiny bit of research and you’ll find solutions for mobile jamming specifically for immediate and defined areas (ie within prison walls and not the local populous or tourists) There’s also Intelligent Network Access Controllers that form a radio frequency umbrellas around a precisely defined target area and attracts mobile devices within range then manages access and allows authorised (staff or visitors) access through the control cell. Why just accept prisoners orchestrating gang land crime from within our prisons? Try explore options a little rather than being so dismissing and you might just surprise yourself.

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    Mute Chris McShortall
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    Nov 11th 2014, 8:29 PM

    Any pool cues no?

    15
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    Mute Tom Lavin
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    Nov 11th 2014, 8:29 PM

    Maybe they could convert them to be water meter fairies seems like an up and coming job opportunity :)

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    Mute AJ
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    Nov 11th 2014, 11:59 PM

    What’s with all the negativity in relation to pool cues? It’s a great game, snooker might be a more civilised option tho.

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