JOINT OPERATIONS

Former Inmates Describe Thriving Illicit Economy Behind the Bars at
Regina Provincial Correctional Centre

A man who has served repeated stints at the Regina Provincial
Correctional Centre says it's common knowledge to both guards and
inmates that there is a plentiful supply of drugs inside the jail --
but he also says he's surprised that the situation has finally come
to light. "Everybody in the jail knew about this, just nobody said
anything about it," said the man, who asked not to be named. His
identity is known to the Leader-Post. "It was a big operation in
there. Big money."

The issue of drugs inside the correctional centre has been receiving
lots of attention outside the facility in recent days, after the RCMP
announced charges had been laid in connection with alleged drug
trafficking to inmates.

But the situation is not news to many of those who have served time
at the jail, who say drugs are readily available at the facility.

The man said inmates could buy a pinner -- street slang for a tiny
marijuana joint -- for $20, and crack, speed, LSD and prescription
pills were all easy to come by through a highly organized drug trade
on the inside.

"Anything else you want from the street, you just go and talk to the
guy and he would place the order," he said.

Here's how he said it worked: An inmate would approach a "gopher" on
their range to request the kind of drugs they wanted. The buyer would
then receive a list of canteen items, such as noodles and chips,
which they would purchase and then trade for the drugs.

"You give him the bag, he gives you the thing," he said. "Pretty
cool, eh? That's how they do it."

The canteen goods would then be converted back into cash, and
delivered to people on the outside as payment, he said.

He speculated that a bad deal may have put an end to the arrangement.

"Maybe somebody got burned with the deal and that's what went south," he said.

While it was not possible to independently corroborate the former
inmate's account, numerous sources who spoke with the Leader-Post
said the availability of drugs inside the institution is widely known.

They said drugs can be smuggled inside the facility by family and
friends during visits, or by men -- usually gang members -- who
intentionally get arrested carrying a parcel of drugs inside their bodies.

The former inmate said drugs could also be smuggled in by someone
working at the facility, carried inside a lunchbag, a briefcase or a thermos.

Another former inmate said the drug trade was discussed openly among
the inmates at the facility while he was inside in 2008 and 2009, and
that "every guy in the joint knew."

"Guys were just discussing it so openly," he said. "If I knew,
everybody knew. And everybody knew."

One woman who spoke with the Leader-Post recalled numerous occasions
where her friends or family members were involved in getting drugs
inside the facility.

"It's easy to get drugs in the correctional," said the woman, who
said her father used to pay to have drugs and cigarettes smuggled
into the jail.

Another man, who did time at the jail 25 years ago, said there were
drugs inside even then.

"You'd just have to trade something for whatever," he said. "I never
did it, but I saw it."

The problem is not unique to Regina. A man who has served time at the
Regina jail said he's heard of situations in Winnipeg where the
girlfriends of gang members get jobs as jail guards solely so they
can smuggle things inside.

He said the only barrier to getting drugs in jail is money.