Thu 24 Jul 1997 The Vancouver Sun News A1 / Front

Guards trafficking drugs to prisoners, insider says: Whistleblower
fears for his life

By: Dianne Rinehart

A prison guard at Fraser Regional Correctional Centre said Wednesday
an investigation that found correction officers were dealing drugs to
inmates and providing them with weapons was shut down by the
government because it was ``too hot to handle.''

Ronald Leskun headed up a team of three officers at the centre
assigned to determine how inmates were receiving drugs and how to
prevent it.

But Leskun said in an interview that the investigative team was
disbanded in February, after discovering that prison guards were the
main source of drugs such as heroin and cocaine.

Leskun, who is on sick leave because of stress arising from threats
against his life and those against the two other officers on his team
and their families, said the director of the centre in Maple Ridge
closed the investigation under pressure from other guards who believe
in the unwritten code that they should not snitch on their fellow
officers.

``The staff code is you don't rat on a fellow officer,'' Leskun said.

And he believes prison director Ron Williams was forced to act because
other staff threatened to strike over the issue and the government
didn't want the hassle. ``As far as I'm concerned, it was the staff
running the jail.''

No one is questioning whether Leskun's program was successful.

In one memo, Williams wrote he was ``amazed with the results that have
been achieved.''

``Feedback from inmates and from other centres confirms a drastic
reduction in the amount of drugs into this centre. Police
jurisdictions with the province have been very pleased with the
information that has been gathered and conveyed regarding unsolved
crime in the community.''

But Williams notes in that memo that charges against some officers for
dealing the drugs has caused a split in the staff. Nevertheless, he
said he takes pride that the centre did not look the other way.

Questioned by the Liberal party in the legislature, AttorneyGeneral
Ujjal Dosanjh admitted the program had some successes.

But in an interview, he defended his ministry's decision to disband
it. ``I found it had some successes, but it had many problems with
guards being investigated by guards.''

Dosanjh said he believes allegations against guards should be
investigated by police, not by their fellow workers.

And he said police investigations into the allegations continue.

The program was disbanded so a new investigative group could be
created, he said.

``Our intention was to retool the program with the lead being given to
police.''

Liberal MLA Mike de Jong who released documents to the media
Wednesday that support Leskun's story told the legislature the
program was disbanded because it found prison guards responsible for
dealing drugs.

The government admits two guards were fired for allegedly dealing
drugs.

But the head of their union, B.C. Government and Service Employees
Union president John Shields, is defending the staff who were fired
and attacking Leskun.

``I'm angry at the Liberals for smearing our corrections officers,''
Shields said in an interview. ``They have relied on a single
individual . . . . He's a Vietnam vet who is not entirely the same as
most citizens.''

Shields said there was not a shred of evidence against the fired
guards, and police said they did not have enough evidence to arrest
them.

But the guards did accept a negotiated settlement that required them
to give up their jobs, corrections officials said Wednesday.

Shields said: ``One just got pissed off and left.'' The other received
a $20,000 settlement.

Shields said the program was shut down because of Leskun.

``In the case of his carrying out his supervisory role, there were
dozens of allegations of harassmenttype behavior on his part.''
Shields said.

But Leskun said the harassment complaints against him were by union
shop stewards who were harassing him and his staff for breaking the
code of silence.

``They booked off sick saying I would physically assault them because
I was a former Vietnam war veteran.''

Since the program was halted, drugs and staff and inmate assaults are
worse than ever, Leskun said.

Leskun said one officer is allegedly having drugs delivered to the
prison by a visitor who leaves them in a garbage can. That officer
then picks up the drugs and distributes them, he charged.

Guards can make hundreds of thousands of dollars dealing drugs to
inmates, he said. The demand is unlimited.

Meanwhile, Leskun and the other two guards he worked with are the
subject of death threats.

He said posters of rats are circulating in the prison with the
officers' names on them. One officer's car was twice spray painted
with threats and Leskun said someone left a bullet from a highpowered
rifle in his office ``as a message.'' The officers' wives are so
terrified they wrote to Dosanjh, who said he assigned a special
officer to investigate their complaints.

Leskun said he is now being transferred against his will to a nearby
correctional institute at Alouette River. ``The only way to close down
the program was to get rid of me.''

And Leskun fears for his safety at Alouette, a prison that he said has
one of the worst drug records in the province.

``They're waiting for me to show up just to get me.''

Leskun said he was warned he'd be disciplined if he went to the media,
but said he had to stand up to ensure prison guards are not prevented
from doing their job.

``If the staff feel they are restricted by the rat clause, or not
supported by the union, inmates will get hurt.

``It will grow and someone will get killed.''