TRAILER USED TO SMUGGLE DRUGS INTO MEN'S PRISON?

A horse trailer may have been used to smuggle a large quantity of
drugs into a Maple Ridge prison.

Police are investigating, but won't provide details on the trailer,
which was dropped off for repairs at the Fraser Regional Correctional
Centre by a woman on March 7.

"We're working closely with B.C. Corrections on this file," said Ridge
Meadows RCMP Cpl. Alanna Dunlop.

"With this being an active investigation, we're not prepared to
provide any specific details regarding this file as it may jeopardize
the outcome."

Dean Purdy, a spokesperson for the B.C. Government Employees Union's
correctional and sheriff services section, said the trailer remained
at the men's prison on 256th Street for sometime while staff tried to
contact the owner.

Drugs were discovered inside the prison shortly after the trailer
arrived on site, but Purdy was unable to confirm if they were directly
linked to the trailer.

"We don't have 100 per cent proof, but we have strong suspicions it
was used to bring in contraband," he added.

The shipment may also have contained cell phones.

It is not surprising that drug abuse and trafficking is an issue
within prison walls.

In March 2009, Parminder (Peter) Singh Adiwal received a nine-month
conditional sentence after pleading guilty to one count of trafficking
cocaine inside FRCC. Eight other counts of possession of a controlled
substance for the purpose of trafficking were stayed against him.

In May 2008, after a 20-year-old man died at FRCC, the union
representing prison guards at Fraser Regional Correctional Centre
claimed drug use at the prison was "very prevalent," worse than at any
of the nine provincial prisons.

The B.C. Government Employees Union also said that drugs - marijuana,
cocaine and heroin - were being bundled up inside tennis balls and
lobbed into the prison yard at FRCC, then smuggled inside the facility
by prisoners, who also pick up drugs and do the same while working on
crews off the prison site on 256 Street.

Fraser regional has several programs that allow inmates to work in the
community at a fish hatchery and as highway or ground maintenance crews.

Purdy said sometimes inmates will hide contraband on their bodies to
smuggle it inside. By law, guards cannot perform a cavity search.

Purdy isn't shocked a trailer was may have been used to smuggle in a
much larger quantity of drugs than the shipments that trafficked
inside by people or thrown over the prison fence.

"They'll go to any means to get drugs inside the jail," he
added.

Purdy said the union will be speaking to prison management about
staff-to-inmate ratios to find out whether a lack of supervision may
have led to a slip.

B.C. Corrections confirmed that RCMP were notified about the trailer
after it was brought to a fenced in outdoor area to be repaired by
inmates who participate in the prison's work programs.

As a result of the incident, the prison strengthened its policy to
prohibit public vehicles from being accepted into any on-site work
programs.

A spokesperson for B.C. Corrections said prison staff have many
security practices in place around the programs.

They include security checks of all contractors, as well as regular
searches of both the inmates and tools involved in these programs.

"We are confident in our security protocols and do not believe that
this one instance suggests a broader issue," said the
spokesperson.

"Work experience is a good thing for inmates and the work they do
benefits the community. All of our programs are designed to reduce
reoffending. Work programs provide valuable experience for inmates
and, in many cases, assist with the development of education and
employment skills."