Drone suspected of dropping package worth half a million dollars at N.B. penitentiary

Dorchester Penitentiary in Dorchester, N.B., is pictured on April 16, 2024.

The seizure of more than half a million dollars of contraband at a federal penitentiary in New Brunswick was from a suspected drone drop.

Correctional Service Canada (CSC) confirmed the use of a drone Thursday. It said the drone was not seized.

The package containing contraband was discovered on the perimeter of Dorchester Penitentiary on June 2, CSC said. Officials say the items seized included methamphetamine, marijuana, shatter, nicotine patches and tobacco.

The total estimated institutional value of the seizure is $534,100, according to CSC.

“When offenders are involved in criminal acts, the Correctional Service Canada (CSC) takes appropriate measures for the safety and security of the institution, its staff, other inmates, and the public, and cooperates with law enforcement so that criminal charges can be laid,” said a CSC spokesperson in an email to CTV News.

No institutional charges were laid as a result of the drone drop.

Last month, a drone was used to drop contraband at Springhill Institution in Nova Scotia.

-With files from CTV’s Natalie Lombard

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.