RELIGIOUS COUNSELLOR CAUGHT WITH ILLICIT DRUGS

Guards Find Stash As He Enters Prison

Police are investigating a religious counsellor after drugs were
found in his suitcase as he tried to enter the provincial detention
centre where he worked.

The man, known as a pastoral animator, was working at the Riviere des
Prairies detention centre on a temporary basis. He was arrested
Sunday afternoon after guards discovered a small quantity of illicit drugs.

The drugs were not identified.

"Information was circulating that led us to believe the animator was
involved in bringing drugs" into the detention centre, said Michel
Hubert, president of the Syndicat des agents de la paix en services
correctionnels du Quebec, the union representing jail guards.

Based on that information, management at the Riviere des Prairies
centre asked guards to search the counsellor the next time he
entered. He was replacing the detention centre's regular chaplain,
who is on vacation.

When the guards looked inside his suitcase, they noticed a pouch of
tobacco that appeared to be new and unopened. They unsealed it and
found a small quantity of drugs.

Hubert said he believed there were no more than a few ounces of drugs
in the pouch. He also said it is believed the drugs were destined for
a member of a Montreal street gang who is serving time at Riviere des Prairies.

"But that is unconfirmed information," Hubert said.

Drugs are a serious problem in provincial detention centres, he
acknowledged. "It's a plague. It can't be described any other way. It
is extremely difficult to get conclusive results in drug
rehabilitation programs with drug trafficking going on inside the walls."

Sunday's arrest highlights a continuing problem in Quebec's detention
centres, Hubert said, pointing out that guards are not well equipped
to keep drugs out.

Federal penitentiaries are equipped with scanners that can detect
minuscule traces of drugs on a person, he noted. "We don't have any
(scanners), and in some establishments guards are refused the right
to search professionals who enter. That includes all professionals
from the religious community," Hubert said.

Surete du Quebec Constable Isabelle Gendron confirmed only a person
working at the detention centre was arrested Sunday. The man was
released that day; investigators plan to meet with him this week, she said.