A pigeon was detained in a Canadian prison after attempting to smuggle a meth backpack into the prison yard.
While patrolling the perimeter of the Pacific Institution correctional facility in British Columbia, officers noticed a pigeon wearing a backpack. Afterward, the guards successfully set a trap for the pigeon on the penitentiary wall.
John Randle, Pacific regional president of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, described the meth-smuggling pigeon as “abnormal.”
“My initial reaction was shock because of all the advancements in technology and the number of drones we’ve seen,” he continued.
Randle said his team of correctional officers uses radar to combat drone drug drops on a daily basis. Despite his 13-year tenure as a correctional officer, he was shocked by this latest airborne smuggling attempt.
“They have gone backward in technology,” Randle observed. “Maybe that’s because of all the work we have done with drone interdiction that they are trying to find new ways to get contraband in without being detected.”
Randle noted that the smugglers would have had an easier time getting a drone to land in a specific location rather than a pigeon.
Randle said further that many prisoners are addicts, and introducing drugs into prisons prevents rehabilitation.
“The whole goal of prisons is to rehabilitate and release people into society as law-abiding citizens, [so] introducing drugs is scary, especially a drug like crystal meth,” he said.
Furthermore, Randle said the growing creativity of drug smuggling is a “massive concern to everybody.”
Along the Texas-Mexico border, patrol officers have found their fair share of abnormal smuggling practices.
In October, patrol officers discovered pumpkins filled with liquid meth, as reported by The Dallas Express. Officers have also found meth-filled burritos, liquid meth horse shampoo, and 766 pounds of marijuana hidden beneath fresh broccoli.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported that methamphetamine, marijuana, and khat were the drugs most commonly seized in 2022.
Although fentanyl represents a smaller portion of the drugs confiscated, it is widely regarded as the most concerning.
In 2022, 50.6 million fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and over 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder were seized in the U.S., equalling 379 million fatal doses — enough to kill every American.
The Drug Enforcement Agency considers 2 milligrams of fentanyl a lethal dose.
The potency of fentanyl presents a particular challenge to CBP because small amounts trafficked successfully can have devastating effects.
Over the past few years, fentanyl has become the number one cause of death for Americans aged 18-45, killing 79,000 in 2021.