Montreal prison deliveries
“Jacque” came home from work one day in Montreal, Canada and found his clothesline in the back yard was all tangled with long stockings that were attached to a dead drone. He investigated the 7 foot long skinny legs and found an amazing cargo in them. The packages contained nearly a kilogram of cannabis, hash and tobacco, along with a homemade knife and cellphones with SIM cards. Jacque figured this was not something his wife had ordered and called police. Actually both he and the police had a very good idea what the crashed package was. It was a care package for the Provincial prison located about 2.5 miles away. Others in the area around the prison had reported crashed material that was very valuable to the prison inmates for escape and money making purposes. The long thin shapes dangling beneath the drone that got caught in the clothesline make it possible to slide the packages between prison window bars, according to Mathieu Lavoie, the president of the union of peace officers in Quebec’s correctional services. That haul is believed to have an institutional value of about $45K.
It’s not the first time that a drone carrying contraband has veered off course. Last January, deputies with the Richland County Sheriff’s Office were called to Mansfield, Ohio to investigate a drone that crashed into a home. In that instance, there were two prisons located about 2 miles from the home. Perhaps in an attempt to avoid any technical glitches, a tried and true contraband delivery method was put to the test last year when a pigeon carrying containing 30 grams of crystal methamphetamine in a mini “backpack” was discovered at the Pacific Institution in Abbotsford. The bird was freed of its backpack and set free after correctional officers were able to corner it. It’s unclear whether the bird was trained by someone within or outside the institution.
Drones share the intent of eluding security and distancing perpetrators from their crimes. Ranging from a few hundred dollars to $5,000 or more, are capable of flying 400 feet above ground, a half-mile or more from their operators while carrying payloads of up to 15 pounds, says Bryan Stirling, director of the South Carolina Department of Corrections. Prisons, generally speaking, weren’t designed to defend against such threats. It’s people running jobs on the inside and the outside. Internet-connected cell phones and electronic money transfers through Green Dot prepaid cards, or mobile payment services like Cash App—often with an advance cut to outside conspirators who receive the balance on delivery–make them much easier to coordinate. “The technology is so advanced that they can nearly GPS the thing right to their cell window. They just reach out of their cell windows and take it from the drones.”
Drones could also be used to surveil institutions, facilitate escape attempts, or transport explosives. Smart phones in prison can sell for thousands of dollars and a pack of cigarettes for over one hundred dollars. Now, prisoners are using technology to cut out the middleman and take deliveries straight from the outside from drones that drop payloads onto prison yards. Some US prisons now have special radar set up to detect drones flying close to the property.
Barred Humor
When one door closes and another door opens,
you’re probably in prison.
Two women in a shared prison cell for 15yrs.
When they were freed……they spent another 2 hours talking outside.
Warden: “I’m sorry. I found out that we have kept you here a week too long.”
Convict: “That’s all right, sir. Knock it off the next time.”
She: “It’s really difficult, my partner is constantly in and out of prison.”
Him: “Babe, that’s a terrible way to tell people I’m a Corrections Officer.”
March 13th Birthdays
1993 – Kaya Scodelario, 1997 – Monique Lynn, 1993 – Lucie Fry, 1972 – Adina Porter
1986 – Neal Fisher, 1991 – Tristan Thompson, 1989 – Harry Melling, 1950 – Charles Krauthammer