Police have charged two people who attempted to use drones to deliver contraband to an inmate in Warkworth Institution early Friday morning (February 2).
At around 1:15 a.m. on Friday, the Northumberland Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) received a call from Warkworth Institution in Trent Hills about a drone flying over the medium-security prison.
Officers patrolled the area and observed a suspicious pickup truck parked south of the prison on McCann Road. As a result of an investigation, police seized items that are prohibited inside the correctional institution, including two drones, 115 grams of cannabis, and cell phones.
A 26-year-old Nepean woman was charged with mischief, delivering contraband to or receiving contraband from an inmate, driving a vehicle with cannabis readily available, speeding, and failing to surrender a driver’s licence. A 39-year-old Ottawa man was charged with mischief and delivering contraband to or receiving contraband from an inmate.
The two accused will appear before the Ontario Court of Justice at a future date.
According to the Union for Canadian Correctional Officers, drone delivery of contraband in prisons across Canada is a daily occurrence, accounting for 75 per cent of contraband that is seized from prisoners. Between March 2020 and February 2022, there were almost 700 drone-related incidents in Canadian prisons, with Quebec having the highest percentage of drone incidents.
