Guards seize $70K in cannabis outside B.C. prison amid increase in drone detection systems

A correctional officer walks past the main gate to the Mountain Institution in Agassiz, B.C. Sunday, March 30, 2008. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Prison officials discovered several packages containing tens of thousands of dollars worth of contraband cannabis products on the perimeter of a British Columbia prison last week, as the Correctional Service of Canada says it has increased its deployment of anti-drone and detector dog services at federal institutions across the country.

In a news release Tuesday, the correctional service says officials at the medium-security Mountain Institution in Agassiz found multiple packages on the prison perimeter that contained cannabis concentrates with an estimated institutional value of approximately $70,000.

The institutional value of contraband seized in prisons is determined by multiple internal factors and can change over time and from one institution to another. However, the value of illegal items seized inside prisons is always higher than their value in the outside community.

The correctional service says local police were notified of the seizure last week and prison officials are investigating.

The announcement was made on the same day that the commissioner of the correctional service issued a statement detailing the progress that prisons are making in cracking down on contraband entering Canada's prisons.

Commissioner Anne Kelly's statement said all federal institutions are now equipped with various drone detection systems, which "are producing positive results."

The commissioner estimated that there were 290 drone incidents at Canadian prisons between Jan. 1 and June 30 this year, and 98 per cent of the drones involved in those incidents were detected.

Kelly said the correctional service has also deployed dogs trained to detect electronic storage devices like SD cards and cellphones, which are banned inside correctional institutions, in all regions of the country.

"In addition, we continue to work with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on innovative solutions to further reduce the entry of contraband within our correctional institutions," the statement said.

Corrections officials maintain a telephone tip line for the public to report incidents of smuggling, drug use or other security concerns at all federal prisons. Tipsters can call the tip line anonymously at 1-866-780-3784.