From shivs to a broken drone, here's a list of contraband recently seized from a maximum-security prison in B.C.
Corrections officials released a list Friday of a variety of contraband and unauthorized items they say were seized from a maximum-security prison in B.C. recently.
Among the items uncovered at Kent Institution, located in Agassiz, are what Correctional Service Canada described as "stabbing weapons," as well as the remnants of at least one broken drone.
Some of the contents included in a list released Friday have yet to be determined, following an analysis from the RCMP, but of those items known, the estimated value inside the prison is $48,000.
Most of the items were found in searches this month.
Specific details of how the items were located were not provided, but CSC said its staff use tools including ion scanners and drug-detecting dogs in their searches of institutions, inmates and visitors.
According to CSC, its officers found:
- Unidentified contents, sent to RCMP for identification, on May 19;
- One ounce of TCH butter, a bail of tobacco, four USB readers, four Chatr SIM cards and four micro SIM cards on June 27;
- Fifty-two nicotine patches and 3.5 grams of marijuana on July 16;
- Two cellphones, two "stabbing weapons," 30 grams of crystal methamphetamine (meth), and "remnants of an unmanned air vehicle" on July 17;
- Remnants of drone on July 20;
- One bale of tobacco, two grams of marijuana, 15 grams of crystal meth, 27.9 grams of shatter, two micro SD charges and 15 grams of "unidentified powder" on July 22; and
- Ten grams of cocaine, 41 grams of crystal meth and four packages of "butter product" on July 27.
The discovery of these items is not particularly unusual.
CSC issued a news release in July 2020 saying someone had been arrested after trying to smuggle drugs and SIM cards into Kent institution in a backpack.
Five "handmade stabbing weapons," often referred to as shivs, were seized last August during a sweep of the federal prison.
Each time an incident was reported publicly, CSC said it was "heightening measures" to stop contraband from entering Canadian prisons.
An update in the spring of 2019 came with the same promise of heightened measures, following the seizure of more than $86,000 worth of contraband, including a drone.
Friday's message too came with an assurance that CSC was taking steps to prevent these items from being smuggled in. The paragraph in the latest news release was identical to the phrasing used in a news release in 2019.
It appears that despite the CSC's "heightening measures," and despite a telephone tip line for the public to report smuggling efforts, these unauthorized items are still reaching Canadian inmates.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Government proposes new policy for federally regulated employees to disconnect from work
In their 2024 budget, the federal government wants to amend the Canada Labour Code, so employers in federally regulated sectors will eliminate work-related communication with employees outside of scheduled hours. If implemented, this would affect roughly 500,000 employees across the country.