By Canadian Press

Drugs at B.C. prison ‘insane’ with multiple drone drops daily, says union boss

Nov 10, 2023 | 2:55 PM

VANCOUVER — A union leader says a prison in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley is experiencing an “insane” drug problem, with drones making multiple deliveries to prisoners each day. 

John Randle, regional president of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, says staff at the Mountain Institution in Agassiz are exhausted from handling the “non-stop” drone drops and overdoses among inmates.

The union says in a statement that officers seized almost 200 grams of crystal meth and other drugs at the prison on Wednesday.

It also says there have been two fatal overdoses in the prison since mid-October.

Randle says the planned expansion of a needle exchange program to facilities that he says includes medium-security Mountain Institution risks worsening the problem.

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Correctional Service Canada says on its website it has been rolling out the needle exchange program since 2018 and it’s currently being used at nine federal facilities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 10, 2023. 

The Canadian Press