STONY MOUNTAIN GUARDS ON WATCH FOR DRUGS

CRIMINALS may be off the street and in Stony Mountain Institution,
but that doesn't mean they no longer want illegal drugs.

In the last two weeks, the prison's correctional officers, drug
detector dog team, and security intelligence office have been
credited with making two drug seizures from visitors coming to the
facility before they meet with inmates.

"We've become very good at what we do in finding drugs," said Aimee
Fortier, a Stony Mountain spokeswoman.

"The Correctional Service of Canada has a zero tolerance for the use
and trafficking of drugs in the institutions."

Corrections officials said a vehicle arriving for a cultural event at
the prison was stopped and searched on Aug. 24. The search found two
suspicious packages which, when opened by officers at the nearby RCMP
detachment in Stonewall, contained about 28.5 grams of marijuana,
worth about $4,500 in the institution.

The pair in the vehicle have been charged with drug trafficking.

Then on Aug. 29, a female visitor was interviewed after being checked
by a drug detector dog. The woman, who was later turned over to the
RCMP, voluntarily surrendered three small packages hidden in her
clothing which contained marijuana.

"Inmates have demonstrated they can be creative in the way they will
attempt to bring contraband into the institution," Fortier said.

"Almost 80 per cent of the offenders in federal prisons do so with
drug abuse problems. Unfortunately, when addictions are involved,
there will be times inmates will try getting drugs into the institutions."

Fortier said there are stiff penalties for trying to bring drugs into prison.

Last year, a woman caught smuggling marijuana and morphine to a
friend at the penitentiary received a four-month jail sentence.

And Fortier said she knows of at least one case which saw the
offender get sentenced to two years in prison.

Fortier said if anyone is being threatened or forced to bring drugs
to the institution, they can call 344-6000 to arrange for their
safety in the community.

Stony Mountain Institution is located 11 kilometres north of Winnipeg
and houses 540 federal inmates.