Drugs discovered at N.B. prison in December were dropped by drone: CSC

A red and black quadcopter drone is seen flying in this stock image. (Pok Rie/Pexels)

Nearly a month after a high-value package of illicit drugs was discovered on the grounds of a maximum-security facility in Renous, N.B., the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) is now admitting it was dropped by a drone.

On Dec. 9, 2024, staff at the Atlantic Institution found a package containing $405,500 worth of crystal methamphetamine, shatter, MDMA (ecstasy), and marijuana.

In its initial release, CSC would only say a package was found, despite inquiries by CTV News about how it could have ended up on the grounds of the institution.

In an email Wednesday, a CSC spokesperson confirmed it arrived by drone.

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Back in December, a spokesman for the RCMP in Blackville, N.B. – a detachment close to the federal penitentiary – did say prison staff called police about a potential drone flying in the area on Dec. 8, 2024.

No drone was discovered.

Since their findings on Dec. 9, the CSC says no additional packages have been found.

When asked how many drones have been seized around any of the five federal institutions in the Maritimes, the CSC told CTV News it does not currently track that number.

“If a drone crashes and is seized, it would currently be captured under the seized item category of ‘Other,’” Wednesday’s email reads.

“CSC is currently exploring enhancements to its reporting systems in order to be able to begin tracking seized drones.”

In October 2024, the CSC told CTV News there were 35 drone-related incidents reported at institutions in the Atlantic region between Jan. 1, 2024 and July 31, 2024.

December’s $400,500 seizure is among a number of high-profile attempts to smuggle contraband into facilities in the Maritimes.

In May 2024, $475,000 worth of crystal meth was discovered at the Springhill Institution in Nova Scotia. Part of that amount was dropped by a suspected drone.

Back on Aug. 11, 2022, Springhill staff found packages containing contraband on the perimeter of the prison worth an estimated institutional value of $750,000.

At the time, the CSC did not share with the public details of how they thought the contraband wound up on the perimeter.

The CSC eventually admitted it was from a suspected drone drop.

The items seized in that incident included 244 grams of hash, 485 grams of shatter (cannabis concentrate), 241 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 48 heroin pills, 352 acetyl-fentanyl pills, 146 grams of loose tobacco, two bales of tobacco, two cellphones, six SIM cards, and one charging block.

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