The Matsqui Institution, a medium-security federal men's prison, is seen in Abbotsford, B.C., Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017. A pigeon wearing a tiny empty backpack has been captured inside a federal prison in British Columbia, in what a union official says was likely another plan by inmates to smuggle drugs. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
VANCOUVER – A pigeon wearing a tiny empty backpack has been captured inside a federal prison in British Columbia, in what a union official says was likely another plan by inmates to smuggle drugs.
The discovery at the Matsqui prison in the Fraser Valley comes just a few months after another pigeon was captured carrying a bird-size backpack full of crystal methamphetamine at the Pacific Institution right next door.
John Randle, the Pacific regional president at the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, says the latest pigeon’s pack was made of blue jeans and bedsheets, materials easily available to inmates.
He says the pigeon was found inside the jail on Feb. 27, while the first bird was caught on the prison grounds.
Randle says there’s an elementary school close by and pigeons smuggling drugs are a real concern, especially if it lands at the wrong place.
After the backpack was removed, the bird was released, and police in Abbotsford say they’re investigating the latest pigeon pack.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 16, 2023.
