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."

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 taking 'layered approach'

Correctional Service of Canada says it's taking a "layered approach" to the threat posed by drones.

This includes procuring drone detection equipment, piloting cellphone detection technologies, and training dogs to detect electronic devices, according to an emailed statement Friday.

The correctional service has said it lacks "legal authority" to use drone-jamming technology, but it's exploring the "legal processes and feasibility" of eventually using this as well.

Last month, guards held a protest in Abbotsford, B.C., 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 correctional service said Friday that staff have been more successful seizing drone packages, but it did not say how many have been seized or where the seizures occurred.

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.