Canadian prison contraband seizures

In July 2026 Canada’s correctional system intensified searches for prohibited items. A four‑day lockdown at the medium‑security Mountain Institution near Agassiz uncovered over $180,000 worth of contraband, including THC concentrate, methamphetamine, steroids, tobacco, cell phones and improvised weapons. The facility introduced ion‑scanners, drug‑sniffer dogs and a toll‑free tip line to bolster security.

Later that month and in June, coordinated raids across Quebec detention centres – Québec City, Trois‑Rivières and Hull – seized roughly $380,000 in contraband such as tobacco, cannabis concentrate, methamphetamine, phones and makeshift firearms. A subsequent operation at the federal Institution of Cowansville added another $263,744 in seized goods. These actions, carried out by the Correctional Service of Canada in partnership with provincial police, underscore a growing effort to curb the flow of drugs and weapons into prisons and protect staff, inmates and visitors.