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🇮🇸 Iceland /Crime & Justice

Drug use reported in Icelandic prisons

From Morgunblaðið · () Icelandic

Translated from Icelandic and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement Context piece
  • Iceland recorded 525 cases involving drug use by prisoners at Litla-Hraun from 2020 to 2025.
  • Hólmsheiði prison recorded 57 additional cases during the same period.
  • The justice minister said the problem was more widespread at Litla-Hraun, while Hólmsheiði has better facilities to prevent drugs from entering.

Icelandic prisons recorded hundreds of cases involving drug use by inmates between 2020 and 2025, according to information provided by Justice Minister Þorbjörg Sigríður Gunnlaugsdóttir.

Litla-Hraun accounted for 525 cases during the period, while Hólmsheiði recorded 57. Litla-Hraun reached its highest annual figure in 2021, with 123 cases. Hólmsheiði recorded its peak in 2022, with 19.

The minister said the problem was more widespread at Litla-Hraun because Hólmsheiði offers better opportunities to prevent drugs from entering the prison. Hólmsheiði is a purpose-built prison facility.

About this summary

Originally published by Morgunblaðið in Icelandic. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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