Republican inmate kicked off dissident wing at Portlaoise Prison after phones and drugs find

Paramilitary bosses took the decision to kick their former comrade out of E Block after the discovery at the high-security prison, according to Sunday World sources.

The prisoner was transferred to the A Block where a number of high-profile criminals are currently being detained including members of the Kinahan Cartel and Garda killer Aaron Brady

It is believed the smuggled items were found in food trolley in a common area.

The Irish Prison Service refused to make any comment about the discovery of the contraband.

Paramilitary prisoners from the Real and New IRA and unaligned republicans enjoy greater freedoms on the E Bock compared to other prisoners.

It is not the first time a Republican prisoner has been kicked out of E Block by his paramilitary colleagues over allegations of drugs.

In 2018 the New IRA released a statement to a newspaper in which it was stated the IRA had instructed members: “to eject an individual from its landings with immediate effect.

“The Irish Republican Army has a zero tolerance in regard to drugs."

There are currently around 30 paramilitary prisoners on the dissident republican landings of which around half are aligned to the New IRA.