Significant seizure of contraband made at Kent Institution, authorities say

Corrections officers at a maximum security federal prison in the Fraser Valley say they made a major seizure of contraband earlier this month. (Correctional Service of Canada)

Corrections officers at a maximum security federal prison in the Fraser Valley say they made a major seizure of contraband earlier this month.

Among the items seized on March 4, according to a statement issued Friday by staff at the Kent Institution, were an SD card, five cell phones and 418.3 grams of "shatter," a cannabis concentrate.

Authorities estimated the total value of the seizure at $227,000.

The statement did not indicate how staff believe the contraband items made it into the prison, nor how they were discovered.

"The Correctional Service of Canada uses a number of tools to prevent drugs from entering its institutions," the statement reads. "These tools include ion scanners and drug-detector dogs to search buildings, personal property, inmates, and visitors."

The service is "heightening measures" to prevent contraband from entering its institutions, according to the statement.

Authorities say anyone with information on drug use or trafficking at CSC institutions should call the service's anonymous tip line at 866-780-3784 to report it.