Someone Got A Drone For Christmas And Used It To Deliver Cannabis Cheer To A Prison In Ontario

In the night sky over a prison in Ontario, Canada, one might have dreamt of seeing a sleigh full of Christmas goodies for all the well-behaved prisoners therein. 

Once it was ascertained, however, that it was not Santa making the delivery but indeed a drone, prison officials made haste to capture and confiscate the items, which included 149 grams of cannabis, 109 grams of tobacco, rolling papers, cell phones and phone accessories. No weed gifts this year for the prisoners. 

Cannabis naturally is not allowed by the Correctional Services of Canada (CSC) and is considered contraband, which also includes intoxicants, weapons and ammunition, currency, explosives and cigarettes.

“Generally, contraband includes any item that could jeopardize the security of an institution or the safety of persons, when that item is not possessed without prior authorization,” the CSC noted.

The CSC did not specify the institutional value of the contraband discovered or where the holiday package was found. CTV News first reported the items were suspected of being delivered by drone.

Drones And Prisons: A Marriage Of Convenience

A drone was also believed to have served as the mode of delivery for another find at the correctional facility last month, noted The Growth Op citing Canada's Global News, which reported that in late November prison staff intercepted 475 grams of tobacco, rolling papers, 220 grams of cannabis, 28 grams of weed concentrate and a cellphone.

In mid-October, while carrying out checks prison staff found a package containing 205 grams of tobacco, 215 grams of cannabis, 132 grams of shatter (marijuana concentrate), 110 grams of hashish and an unidentified number of cell phones and related accessories. It is thought the contraband was delivered “as a result of a suspect drone drop,” the CSC noted at the time.

Photo by Jared Brashier on Unsplash