PIPELINE INSIDE PEN

Plumber's Help Busted For Drugs

A plumber's assistant at Stony Mountain Correctional Institution has been
charged with smuggling marijuana and other drugs into the prison.

Stonewall RCMP arrested a 48-year-old Matlock man yesterday morning after
seizing an undisclosed amount of marijuana and other unidentified drugs.

"Unfortunately, there are occasions where staff members are found to be
involved in illegal activities inside the institution," said Tim Krause, of
the Correctional Service of Canada. "When we become aware of such
involvement we take it extremely seriously."

Full-Time Employee

Krause said the full-time employee, whose name has not been released, has
been suspended without pay pending a disciplinary investigation by the
Correctional Service of Canada.

"It's a big deal when something like this happens," a reliable prison
source told The Sun.

"We're combatting it from every other source," he said, adding drugs are
tossed over the fence and smuggled in by visitors. "When you find out a
staff member is bringing it in, it's very frustrating. It jeopardizes the
entire safety of the institution."

The employee was facing charges of possession of marijuana for the purpose
of trafficking and possession of a controlled drug for the purpose of
trafficking.

Officials from Stony Mountain did not return calls from The Sun yesterday.

In September 2000, Stony Mountain warden Don Kynoch told The Sun he vowed
to shut the drug pipeline into the prison.

That was after prison contract employees were arrested March 29, 2000,
attempting to smuggle in almost 200 pills of hydromorphine and Valium, and
seven grams of marijuana.