2 men from Montreal arrested in drone drug-smuggling investigation at N.B. prison
Two men from the Montreal area are facing trafficking charges in connection with a drone being used to smuggle drugs and other contraband into a maximum-security prison in rural New Brunswick.
Police seized numerous items with an estimated penitentiary value of more than $250,000 in the drone drug-dropping investigation at Atlantic Institution in Renous, said Cpl. Brad Gallant, of the Miramichi integrated enforcement unit.
Integrated enforcement units, made up of members of municipal police forces, the RCMP and the Department of Justice and Public Safety, focus on disrupting trafficking, firearms and violence.
Drug-smuggling drones are a growing problem at prisons across the country, according to Gallant.
"There's working groups in each of the provinces that are targeting this," he said.
'Significant seizure'
Atlantic Institution launched an investigation into the trafficking of contraband and controlled substances into the prison via an unmanned aerial vehicle in February, in collaboration with the Miramichi integrated enforcement unit, said Gallant.
On May 3, that unit, with assistance from the Bathurst enforcement unit and RCMP, arrested two men, aged 25 and 29, at a convenience store in Miramichi for possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Items seized included fentanyl, cocaine, shatter, hashish, cannabis, tobacco, cell phones, SIM cards, cellphone chargers, lighters, rolling papers, and cash, along with an unmanned aerial vehicle with a controller.
It was a "pretty significant seizure," said Gallant. "There was a large quantity of each of the items that were seized that would have had significant implications on the inside if it were to reach there."
'Prison packs'
The drugs were bundled in what's known as "prison packs" — small cylinder shapes wrapped in cellophane and then wrapped in electrical tape to protect them from breaking upon being dropped, said Gallant.
"It's packaged in a way that it's easy for someone on the inside to conceal it, to avoid detection."
Atlantic Institution prison in Renous is rated to house up to 331 maximum-security male inmates. (CBC News)
The accused are scheduled to appear in Miramichi provincial court in November, when they're expected to be charged with trafficking and possession for the purpose of trafficking, said Gallant.
They could also face charges under the Tobacco Tax Act and the Cannabis Act, he said.
"You know, the old saying goes, you'd kind of be naive to think that it's going to stop with one arrest. So it's an ongoing investigation," said Gallant. "It's going to continue."
Correctional service tackling 'evolving threat'
Correctional Service of Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday, but said in a statement last month that it's taking multiple steps to combat the "evolving threat" of drones, including procuring drone detection equipment, using dogs trained to find electronic devices, and looking into getting "legal authority" to use drone-jamming technology.
Guards held a protest in Abbotsford, B.C., last month to call attention to increased violence and overdoses they say are fuelled by the drone drops. According to the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, it's a daily occurrence.
The Atlantic Institution investigation involved the members of the prison's security intelligence department, four members of the Miramichi integrated enforcement unit, three members of the Bathurst enforcement unit, and a couple of RCMP officers, said Gallant.
"There was also intelligence being shared right across the country," he said.
