Contraband cellphones, nicotine, meth valued at $149K seized at B.C. prison

The Mountain Institution in Agassiz, B.C. Sunday, March 30, 2008. (Jonathan Hayward / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Prison officials at a medium-security institution in British Columbia say a contraband package containing methamphetamine, cellphones and nicotine patches has been seized and an investigation into its origins is underway.

The package was discovered at Mountain Institution in Agassiz on Feb. 15, according to a statement Thursday from assistant warden Marie Messer, who estimated the total institutional value of the items seized at $149,370.

The cache of contraband also included SD card readers, phone charging cables and cannabis concentrate, according to prison authorities, who said the police have been notified of the discovery and an investigation is underway.

The Correctional Service of Canada says the institutional value of contraband seized in prisons is determined by several factors, and the values can differ from one institution to another. That aside, the value of illegal items seized inside prisons is always higher than their value in the outside community.

“The institutional monetary value of these items is based on multiple factors but is primarily determined through intelligence information collected at the site once the items are seized,” Correctional Service of Canada spokesperson Lucinda Fraser explained in an emailed statement last year.

“Each institution’s values will vary, as they depend on the regional or local jurisdiction’s trends, including drug prices (if drugs were seized), as well as an institution’s security level,” Fraser added. “This means that values can change on a regular basis.”

The agency says it uses a variety of tools to prevent drugs from being smuggled into its prisons, including ion scanners and drug-detecting dogs to search buildings, personal property, inmates, and visitors.

The correctional service says it has been “heightening measures to prevent contraband from entering its institutions” and is working with police to crack down on those who attempt to smuggle banned items into prisons.

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 anonymous line toll-free at 1-866-780-3784.