Latest news with #contraband
CTV News
5 hours ago
- CTV News
Border patrol finds tunnel from Tijuana to San Diego
It's believed the tunnel was used to transport large amounts of contraband. Border Patrol/KRDO via CNN Newsource SAN DIEGO, California (KRDO) -- U.S. Customs and Border Patrol says they found an intricate tunnel leading from Tijuana to San Diego. Border Patrol says the tunnel featured electrical wiring, lighting, and ventilation systems. It's believed the tunnel was used to transport large amounts of contraband. According to the agency, the San Diego Sector Tunnel Team found the tunnel while it was still 'actively under construction.' Even though the tunnel was not yet complete, officials say at its current stage, it was estimated to be about 2,918 feet long. Border Patrol believes it was intended to have an exit point near a California commercial warehouse space. Border Patrol, Homeland Security, and Mexico officials were able to locate the entrance point, which they way was at a Tijuana residence. After serving a warrant, officials say they found that the tunnel entrance had been covered up with a freshly-laid tile floor. According to Border Patrol, there have been 95 tunnels located and decommissioned in the San Diego area since 1993. By Celeste Springer
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Former prison guard pleads guilty to smuggling drugs to Faribault inmate
Minnesotans come together at State Capitol to honor the Hortmans, and more headlines Minnesotans come together at State Capitol to honor the Hortmans, and more headlines Minnesotans come together at State Capitol to honor the Hortmans, and more headlines A former correctional officer who smuggled drugs into a Minnesota prison pleaded guilty Wednesday. The guard, 44-year-old Lindsey Adams of Farmington, was charged last September with third-degree possession of methamphetamine and introducing contraband into a state correctional facility. She pleaded guilty to the drug possession charge and as part of the plea deal, the other charge was dropped. Adams was caught on live video delivering drugs to an inmate inside the gym at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Faribault. In a post-Miranda interview, she at first denied bringing in drugs, but later confessed to having 101 anti-depressant pills and a substance later identified as meth in her pocket. She denied giving anything to the inmate. Adams will be sentenced on Aug. 12.
CBC
4 days ago
- CBC
Why drones pose such a challenge in Quebec detention centres
On any given day, drones buzz in the skies above Quebec's detention centres looking to drop tobacco, drugs or cellphones to the inmates below. Statistics from Quebec's public security minister show staff reported 274 drones flying over provincial centres between January and March — or just over three per day. That doesn't include the 10 federally-managed prisons in the province. Corrections spokespeople and a drone expert say the problem is growing, dangerous and hard to stop, despite millions of dollars invested by provincial and federal governments. Stéphane Blackburn, the managing director for Quebec's correctional services, described the threat of airborne contraband as "something we face every day." The provincial figures show 195 of the 247 drones were seen dropping packages. Most of them — 69 per cent — were reported as seized. The province also seized 896 cellphones. But the data shows drone sightings have been growing gradually in recent years. There were 695 drone sightings logged from April 2021 to the end of March of 2022. For the same period between 2024 and 2025, there were 1,175. They're also increasingly being spotted outside Montreal. "A few years ago, it was mainly in the metropolitan region that we saw drone events," Blackburn said. "Montreal has been subjected to the problems for several years now, and now we see a rise in drone events in certain regions." WATCH | How Quebec is trying to keep drug-smuggling drones out of its jails: How Quebec is trying to keep drug-smuggling drones out of its jails 20 days ago Duration 2:33 Blackburn says the most common forms of contraband are tobacco and cannabis, although cellphones, tools and other drugs are also seized. In recent weeks, the province has announced an additional $38.5 million worth of measures aimed at curbing contraband smuggling. Those include technological solutions such as drone and cellphone detectors, and physical infrastructure including fencing or netting around windows and courtyards. Workers will also be using mobile X-ray scanners and body scanners to detect items once they've been delivered. The federal government also announced a pilot project in March that will allow correctional staff to use radio-frequency jammers to block wireless communication to drones and cellphones in federal and Quebec detention centres. Frédérick Lebeau, the national president of the Union of Canadian Correction officers, said the rise in drone drops in correctional facilities has been "exponential" in recent years. "We can talk about several drops a day — three, four, it depends," he said. He said drops happen often when inmates are in the yard, and packages are quickly snapped up and hidden in body cavities or elsewhere. Sometimes, drones are flown directly to windows where inmates have dismantled the bars. He said the presence of contraband — including drugs and weapons — can create debts among inmates and allow criminal networks to operate, resulting in increased violence for detainees and corrections staff alike. "It's really an ecosystem," he said. "If there are more debts, there's more violence. If there's more drinking, more drugs, there's violent (incidents) where we have to intervene." Lebeau said that while new announcements by the different levels of government are "a step forward," many of the measures have only been put in place in a few institutions. In particular, he says there's a need for more jammers to stop drones from reaching jails and prisons, as well as body scanners to catch the drugs once they're dropped. "It's not just detecting drones, we have to catch them," he said. WATCH | Drugs are flying into prisons. Why aren't inmates facing more punishment? Drones are flying drugs into prisons, but the inmates involved face little punishment 5 months ago Duration 2:14 The case of a convicted drug trafficker whose online drug-selling platform was connected to the death of a Quebec teen has some calling for stronger actions against inmates who commit crimes while in prison. They are 'ubiquitous,' expert says Jeremy Laliberté, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Ottawa's Carleton University, says drones are an ideal tool for delivering contraband because they're "ubiquitous, inexpensive," and can be launched from kilometres away. "The folks who want to do this can buy them for a few hundred dollars, modify them, remove any identifying information and launch them and not even worry about getting them back," he said. He said the war in Ukraine — as well as domestic concerns about malicious operators — have spurred a growing interest in counter-drone technology, including better detectors that can locate both the drone and the operator. However, these systems are expensive and complex to develop, while "the drones themselves are hundreds of dollars." Laliberté said physical barriers such as fencing and netting as well as the detectors, jammers, and scanners can all work to protect detention centres, though he notes determined operators can find a way around any one measure. That's why he says a layered model that combines different strategies — the so-called "Swiss cheese model" — has the best chance of success. "There isn't going to be just one strategy that's going to be the magic bullet that stops everything," he said. "It's going to have to be a mix of things, because the technology, it's like an arms race. There's always going to be people trying to get better at this."
CTV News
4 days ago
- CTV News
Drones and contraband pose everyday challenges in Quebec detention centres
A seagull attacks a drone flying over St. Peter's Square as Cardinals are gathered in the Sistine Chapel for the Conclave at the Vatican, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Gregorio Borgia MONTREAL — On any given day, drones buzz in the skies above Quebec's detention centres looking to drop tobacco, drugs or cellphones to the inmates below. Statistics from Quebec's public security minister show staff reported 274 drones flying over provincial centres between January and March — or just over three per day. That doesn't include the 10 federally-managed prisons in the province. Corrections spokespeople and a drone expert say the problem is growing, dangerous and hard to stop, despite millions of dollars invested by provincial and federal governments. Stéphane Blackburn, the managing director for Quebec's correctional services, described the threat of airborne contraband as 'something we face every day.' The provincial figures show 195 of the 247 drones were seen dropping packages. Most of them — 69 per cent — were reported as seized. The province also seized 896 cellphones. But the data shows drone sightings have been growing gradually in recent years. There were 695 drone sightings logged from April 2021 to the end of March of 2022. For the same period between 2024 and 2025, there were 1,175. They're also increasingly being spotted outside Montreal. 'A few years ago, it was mainly in the metropolitan region that we saw drone events,' Blackburn said. 'Montreal has been subjected to the problems for several years now, and now we see a rise in drone events in certain regions.' Blackburn says the most common forms of contraband are tobacco and cannabis, although cellphones, tools and other drugs are also seized. In recent weeks, the province has announced an additional $38.5 million worth of measures aimed at curbing contraband smuggling. Those include technological solutions such as drone and cellphone detectors, and physical infrastructure including fencing or netting around windows and courtyards. Workers will also be using mobile X-ray scanners and body scanners to detect items once they've been delivered. The federal government also announced a pilot project in March that will allow correctional staff to use radio-frequency jammers to block wireless communication to drones and cellphones in federal and Quebec detention centres. Frédérick Lebeau, the national president of the Union of Canadian Correction officers, said the rise in drone drops in correctional facilities has been 'exponential' in recent years. 'We can talk about several drops a day — three, four, it depends,' he said. He said drops happen often when inmates are in the yard, and packages are quickly snapped up and hidden in body cavities or elsewhere. Sometimes, drones are flown directly to windows where inmates have dismantled the bars. He said the presence of contraband — including drugs and weapons — can create debts among inmates and allow criminal networks to operate, resulting in increased violence for detainees and corrections staff alike. 'It's really an ecosystem,' he said. 'If there are more debts, there's more violence. If there's more drinking, more drugs, there's violent (incidents) where we have to intervene.' Lebeau said that while new announcements by the different levels of government are 'a step forward,' many of the measures have only been put in place in a few institutions. In particular, he says there's a need for more jammers to stop drones from reaching jails and prisons, as well as body scanners to catch the drugs once they're dropped. 'It's not just detecting drones, we have to catch them,' he said. Jeremy Laliberte, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Ottawa's Carleton University, says drones are an ideal tool for delivering contraband because they're 'ubiquitous, inexpensive,' and can be launched from kilometres away. 'The folks who want to do this can buy them for a few hundred dollars, modify them, remove any identifying information and launch them and not even worry about getting them back,' he said. He said the war in Ukraine — as well as domestic concerns about malicious operators — have spurred a growing interest in counter-drone technology, including better detectors that can locate both the drone and the operator. However, these systems are expensive and complex to develop, while 'the drones themselves are hundreds of dollars.' Laliberte said physical barriers such as fencing and netting as well as the detectors, jammers, and scanners can all work to protect detention centres, though he notes determined operators can find a way around any one measure. That's why he says a layered model that combines different strategies — the so-called 'Swiss cheese model' — has the best chance of success. 'There isn't going to be just one strategy that's going to be the magic bullet that stops everything,' he said. 'It's going to have to be a mix of things, because the technology, it's like an arms race. There's always going to be people trying to get better at this.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2025. Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press
New York Times
7 days ago
- New York Times
Public Defender Is Charged With Smuggling THC-Laced Paper Into Rikers
A public defender has been charged with trying to smuggle contraband into the Rikers Island jail complex after, officials said, he brought papers to a client meeting that were laced with THC, the main psychoactive chemical compound in marijuana. The public defender, Bernardo Caceres of Queens Defenders, was arrested about 3 p.m. Wednesday at the complex's Otis Bantum Correctional Center, a Correction Department spokeswoman and the correction officers' union said on Friday. Mr. Caceres and a second lawyer were there to meet with a client being held on a burglary charge, a union spokesman said. The second lawyer was not affiliated with Queens Defenders. A yellow envelope Mr. Caceres had with him caught the attention of a Correction Department dog, the agency's spokeswoman said. When an officer retrieved the envelope from the client and opened it, he found a stack of discolored legal-size paperwork, the spokeswoman said. Jail officials have said that such discoloration can indicate the presence of drugs, and testing determined that over 130 sheets of the paper contained traces of THC. Mr. Caceres was arrested and charged with promoting prison contraband, officials said. The second lawyer was released after officers determined he did not know that the papers might contain drugs. It was unclear whether Mr. Caceres had a lawyer. The Queens Defenders, one of several organizations in the city that represent indigent clients under government contracts, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The officers' union has long argued that all mail coming into the city's jails should be digitized and made available to detainees via electronic tablets to prevent paper from being used as a vehicle for smuggling. The Board of Correction, which has oversight of the city's jails, considered such a change in 2023 but ultimately did not approve it. Benny Boscio Jr., the union's president, said the episode on Wednesday underscored why a move to paperless mail was necessary. 'Allowing paper documents to continue to enter our facility only compromises the safety of everyone in our jails,' Mr. Boscio said. The smuggling of contraband into the Rikers complex is a longstanding problem that has sometimes involved those who work there. Last year, for instance, several correction officers were charged with sneaking cellphones, oxycodone, marijuana, fentanyl and sheets of paper soaked in drugs into the complex. The arrest of Mr. Caceres, 30, came the same day that a founder of Queens Defenders, Lori Zeno, and her husband, Rashad Ruhani, were charged with wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy and theft of funds. The couple, prosecutors said, spent tens of thousands of dollars in organization funds on personal expenses, including a vacation in Bali, rent for a luxury apartment and teeth-whitening procedures.
