A barrister acting for a member of a Dublin gang may face criminal charges after a packet of cigarettes he handed to a prisoner was found to contain illicit drugs.
The barrister is now at the centre of a Garda inquiry and potentially faces serious drugs charges. The incident took place at Cloverhill District Court last week.
The barrister was consulting a client who is on remand in Cloverhill Prison in connection with recent serious crime involving members of a Dublin criminal gang.
During their conversation the barrister was seen passing a packet of cigarettes to the prisoner.
A prison officer standing nearby saw the cigarettes changing hands and intervened.
It is against prison rules for an inmate to receive any item from anybody they come into contact with when they are outside the prison under escort.
The prison officer examined the packet and found it to contain illicit drugs. The Irish Timesunderstands the drugs were ecstasy tablets.
The drugs are understood to have been concealed, giving the impression that the packet was a regular pack of cigarettes.
However, when the prison officer dismantled the contents he discovered the drugs.
Gardaí were alerted immediately when the drugs were found. The barrister is assisting gardaí with their inquiries and has been interviewed by investigating officers.
It was unclear last night how long the Garda investigation is likely to take.
Gardaí are also expected to interview the prisoner to whom the cigarettes were being passed.
The prisoner is believed to be a member of a west Dublin criminal gang. The group has been at the centre of a major Garda inquiry under Operation Anvil, which is targeting organised crime.
A spokesman for the Irish Prison Service last night confirmed the incident had taken place at Cloverhill District Court last week.
He said the drugs had been discovered due to the vigilance of the prison officer on duty at the time. The spokesman said the prison service would be making no further comment. A Garda spokeswoman said she was not in a position to comment.