Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Four men have been arrested after Gardaí managed to stop a drone from flying contraband into Dublin prisons. Gardaí from Ronanstown, acting on information that there was an attempt to fly a drone over Wheatfield Prison, carried out a search of a house in West Dublin on Sunday. There, they discovered a drone and a number of electronic devices - and believe they stopped a mob red handed in its operation of shipping drugs and mobile phones into Irish prisons. The operation comes amid a string of recent successes by Gardaí and the Irish Prison Service, who have been working together to stop criminal organisations from using the technology to get contraband behind bars. Four men aged in their late teens, 20s, 30s and 40s were all arrested on Sunday and were being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. They were later released without charge and a file is now being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. Last week, the Irish Mirror revealed how the Irish Prison Service constructed a new wire mesh over the D Yard of Mountjoy Prison after cunning criminals managed to set fire to packages that were dropped from drones and repeatedly burned through the old net on a weekly basis. The construction of the new material, which sources say is far more impenetrable, is believed to have stopped a major crime gang’s ability to drop drugs and mobile phones into the yard overnight. It comes in tandem with a major Garda operation days prior that targeted the suspected ringleader of a behind-bars operation utilising these drones to drop drugs, phones and other illegal items into the yard. A violent criminal who is currently serving time for serious offences was also arrested as part of the Garda operation. (Image: Google Maps) Officers questioned the prisoner, who is believed to be in a dispute with the West Dublin-based gang known as ‘The Family,’ as they carried out raids on various properties in Clondalkin, Ballyfermot, Coolock and Tallaght on Tuesday. During the course of those searches, Gardaí from the South Serious Crime Unit, with assistance from the Dublin Crime Response Team, found phones wrapped in insulation tape ready to be sent by drone to the prisons. Controlled drugs, including €17,000 cannabis, €5,000 cocaine and €3,000 worth of tablets, were also seized, along with €22,000 in cash, a drone, a Rolex watch, mobile phones, financial documents, improvised weapons and drug paraphernalia. including weighing scales and bagging equipment. As part of that investigation, Gardaí also searched two other cells in Mountjoy - though no one else was arrested and no contraband was found there. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.