Irish Daily Mirror

Zombie inmates hooked on deadly ‘Spice’ drug It’s Burke and bare

Dangerous side effects from potent substance

- BY EMMA MCMENAMY

DON’T worry, it’s not nude week on Strictly Come Dancing.

Alexandra Burke, 29 – who is partnered with Gorka Marquez, 27, on the show – stripped off for Women’s Health mag’s naked issue. A DEADLY drug known as Spice is swamping Irish prisons and has inmates walking around like zombies.

The synthetic narcotic, which looks like marijuana, can have dangerous adverse effects on the user including psychotic episodes, paranoia and hallucinat­ions.

Mountjoy has been hit hard by the drug and a source told how the B wing, which houses more than 100 inmates, has seen a huge increase in the number of those “off their heads on drugs”.

The highly-addictive substance – 900 times more potent than cannabis – has been in Ireland for some time but appears to have infiltrate­d the jail system in recent months.

The source told the Irish Mirror: “It is absolutely rampant at the minute. This stuff is worse than heroin in the way it leaves inmates strung out. They are literally like the walking dead, zombies.

“Another side effect is it can leave inmates extremely paranoid and in some cases makes them have crazy, violent hallucinat­ions.

“There was one particular incident which saw an inmate on Spice requiring six prison officers to restrain him.

“And it doesn’t show up in standard drugs tests. Inmates like that as it’s harder for them to be caught and reprimande­d for.”

An Irish Prison Service spokesman said yesterday it has been working with internatio­nal colleagues to develop a joint approach to the management of “Novel Psychoacti­ve Substances”.

He added: “In addition, the IPS continues to liaise with National HSE Addiction experts and the National Ambulance Service, for provision of advice and informatio­non the appropriat­e management of those who may have used NPS in prison.”

A booklet for staff will be circulated shortly with leaflets and posters to inform inmates and visitors of the dangers.

This stuff is worse than heroin in the way it leaves them strung out PRISON SOURCE ON HOW SPICE HAS HIT INMATES

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 ??  ?? IN STEP Alexandra on Strictly with Gorka
IN STEP Alexandra on Strictly with Gorka
 ??  ?? RAMPANT Spice
RAMPANT Spice

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