Two inmates at the controversial Parc prison suffered overdoses after ingesting the super-strength synthetic opioid fentanyl, it is understood. They are the latest in a series of overdoses at the Bridgend jail, which this year has seen five potentially drug-related deaths.
A source close to Parc told WalesOnline that two prisoners in the same wing overdosed on Saturday after taking spice a Class B substance designed to mimic cannabis which had reportedly been cut with fentanyl, an opioid around 50 times more potent than heroin.
A spokeswoman for G4S, the private security giant that runs the jail, said: “Prison custody officers at HMP Parc responded to two suspected drug-related incidents on August 24. We have a robust process for ensuring the welfare of prisoners if suspected to be under the influence of drugs.” It is understood neither prisoner was taken to hospital though at least one of them had oxygen treatment.
According to the National Crime Agency, fentanyl abuse in the UK became an issue in late 2016 and shortly afterwards was linked to a series of deaths in the north-east of England. It can be prescribed as an extremely strong painkiller, but when dealt illegally it is treated as a Class A substance. Fentanyl is more commonly abused in the US, where synthetic opioids are involved in nearly 70% of fatal overdoses. High-profile Americans whose deaths were related to fentanyl-laced drugs include rapper Mac Miller and The Wire actor Michael K Williams.
In June, Parc’s director Heather Whitehead left by mutual agreement following rioting at the jail, 10 sudden inmate deaths in just over three months, and allegations that drug-dealing, violence and corruption were out of control. She was replaced by Will Styles, who previously ran another G4S jail, HMP Five Wells in Northamptonshire. At the time G4S said the decision was “not in response to any one single incident”.
The day after Ms Whitehead’s exit, two prisoners survived overdoses of a drug suspected to be spice and experienced “severe breathing difficulties”. Since then, overdoses and incidents of violence at Parc have been less frequent. But last week we reported an inmate had been rushed to A&E after an attack in his cell. The 42-year-old’s family alleged that three other prisoners had entered the inmate’s cell and “battered” him over the face and body with a tuna tin wrapped in a sock and with pool cues. They said he was so severely bruised he was left looking “like the Elephant Man”.
In May the UK Government’s then-prisons minister Edward Argar said four of the recent sudden deaths at Parc were believed to be drug-related and a further one was “potentially so”. It came after Parc employees alleged to WalesOnline that the vast majority of drugs were being brought in by staff. Mr Argar said there were no plans for staff to be routinely searched for drugs on their way into the prison, though the Government did issue an improvement notice on G4S for urgent action on Parc’s security.
Shortly afterwards, grieving families marched outside the prison in a demonstration calling for G4S to be stripped of its £400million contract. Earlier this year police arrested a Parc employee on suspicion of smuggling in contraband. The 36-year-old man was the fourth person within two months to have been arrested in connection with illicit items or drugs allegedly brought into Parc. All four people have been released by police under investigation.
Speaking about Parc’s drug crisis earlier this year, a G4S spokeswoman said: “Frontline prison officers across the UK provide an essential public service often in very challenging environments. Our dedicated custody officers continue to care for prisoners in Parc to a high standard… We are actively tackling the multiple ways that drugs enter the prison from the wider community while continuously strengthening our security measures to protect prisoners from these dangerous substances.”
WalesOnline has asked the UK’s new Labour Government if it plans to retain the previous Government’s stance that prison staff will not be routinely searched for drugs.