Former Ont. guard pleads guilty to smuggling cannabis into jail

A former guard at Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene pleaded guilty to smuggling cannabis into the facility.

Alex Williams stood in an Orillia courtroom and pleaded guilty to bringing contraband cannabis into Central North Correctional Centre (CNCC) in December 2023.

The court heard Williams, who previously pleaded guilty in November to breach of trust, had been under investigation by provincial police for months, suspected of bringing contraband into the jail for inmates.

The 25-year-old former correctional officer admitted to bringing cannabis into the jail following a reading of Agreed Statement of Facts presented to the court by the Crown. Williams, it is agreed, was captured on surveillance cameras removing shoes from a duffel bag then placing the shoes on a cart which he moved toward a closet door.

Williams was then seen opening the closet door which blocked the camera’s view.

Police were watching nearby and quickly put Williams under arrest. Investigators found four long cylindrical packages with 264g of cannabis and cannabis byproducts along with 260g of tobacco rolling papers, lighter parts, and matches.

Williams was charged December 4, 2023, with breach of trust and trafficking the drugs into the Penetanguishene jail.

Police also found a Nike shoe box inside Williams’ vehicle containing $4,000 in $20 bills in $1,000 stacks.

Williams’ defence lawyer Jeffrey Fisher told the court there is, however, “No admission that the money was directly tied to the offence before the court.”

According to those who know him, Williams worked at CNCC for about two years before to his arrest. He is scheduled to be sentenced by Justice Stacey Nichols in June.

• Related | Jail guard pleads guilty to breach of trust for smuggling drugs, cigarettes to inmates