Gardaí believe they have uncovered a smuggling operation in at least two prisons in Dublin, where prison officers were selling steroids, illicit drugs, mobile phones and alcohol to inmates.
The Irish Prison Service confirmed three prison officers were arrested yesterday as part of the Garda investigation. It declined to comment further.
The Prison Officers' Association (POA) said it was extremely concerned and expressed support for the Garda inquiry.
So far five prison officers, four men and a woman, have been implicated. Three of these were in Garda custody last night.
Several staff lockers were searched yesterday morning at Mountjoy, Cloverhill and Wheatfield prisons, all in Dublin. Two of the three under arrest are based in Wheatfield while the third officer works at Mountjoy.
The officer who works in Cloverhill and another based in Wheatfield were not arrested but are still under investigation. A number of cells are also believed to have been searched yesterday.
The Irish Times understands the five implicated officers socialise and work out together.
One inmate to whom steroids were allegedly being smuggled was involved in a very high-profile drug seizure in recent years. This man is a friend of one of the arrested officers.
The investigation is being conducted by the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Five properties were searched by gardaí yesterday morning in north Dublin. The officers involved were then taken to their places of work where their lockers were searched. It was at this point that the two officers from Wheatfield and the officer from Mountjoy were arrested. One was already suspended after a mobile phone was discovered in his belongings at work.
The Irish Prison Service was expected to consult gardaí last night before deciding if the four other officers under investigation should be suspended.
POA sources said they were anxious to see vetting procedures tightened for future recruitment campaigns. They said while the five officers were entitled to due process they were hopeful gardaí would speedily and conclusively finish their investigations.
While the smuggling of drugs and alcohol by staff into prisons is viewed very seriously, gardaí are most concerned at the smuggling of mobile telephones.
They believe these have been used in the past to help plan drug deals and murders from behind bars. Two prisoners were recently arrested over the murder last November of Baiba Saulite (28).
In May 2005 Mark Byrne (31), from Tallaght, Dublin, was shot dead after leaving Mountjoy. It is believed the killer was tipped off via a smuggled phone in the jail.
In July 2005 a criminal trial was told that the killing of Paul Warren (24) in February 2004 in Dublin was, on the night of the killing, directly co-ordinated by a prisoner using a smuggled phone.
