Single Canadian Prison Sees Nearly 100 Illegal Drone Deliveries in 2022

The threat of drones smuggling drugs, weapons, and other contraband into prisons is on the rise.

Jack Daleo

Friday, June 23, 2023 at 04:47 PM ET

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Drones increasingly are being used to deliver contraband, such as drugs, into prisons. [Courtesy: Pixabay]

Key Takeaways:

Drones are increasingly circumventing traditional prison security to deliver significant amounts of contraband, including drugs, weapons, and cell phones, leading to a dramatic increase in incidents at Canadian facilities like Collins Bay Institution.
This surge in drone deliveries is a widespread and escalating problem across Canadian prisons, with correctional officers reporting it as an "emergency" and attributing approximately 75% of drug seizures to drone drops, contributing to increased violence and overdoses.
Despite pledges for funding and detection equipment, the implementation of effective counter-drone technology in both Canadian and U.S. prisons has been slow, underreported, and hindered by legal complexities and the rapid advancement of drone technology.

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Prison security measures, such as massive walls, barbed wire fortifications, and heavy steel doors, generally suffice to prevent inmates from getting out. They also used to be great at keeping drugs and other contraband from getting in—until recently.

According to statistics from Correctional Service Canada (CSC), obtained by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. via a pair of access-to-information requests (the Canadian analog to the U.S. Freedom of Information Act), a single Ontario prison saw nearly 100 drones deliver drugs, weapons, cell phones, and other contraband to inmates in 2022.