Pigeon With Crystal Meth in Backpack Caught in B.C. Prison

Officers at Pacific Institution in Abbotsford, B.C. have caught a pigeon carrying a small backpack with crystal meth. Typically, drones are what officials have to look out for but this incident shows the creativity people are going to use to smuggle drugs and other contraband into prison is multifaceted.

On December 29, officers were standing in one of the inmate yards when they spotted a pigeon carrying something on its back. They had to corner the pigeon and after “a lengthy period of time,” officers were able to catch it. They removed what looked like a small backpack from the pigeon and then set the bird free. It was discovered that the pigeon was carrying 30 grams of crystal meth. “It’s definitely scary with the fact that it was crystal meth that was found on the bird because that causes a whole lot of problems,” said John Randle, Pacific regional president of the Union for Canadian Correctional Officers.

Randle also shared that officers have been focussing on drone interference which has brought down drone-related incidents but last month, a firearm was dropped into Mission Institution. Randle pointed out that this crackdown on drones could have forced people to use pigeons or “throwover” – where people throw packages over the prison boundary wall. He also stated that in his 13 years of experience, he has never seen a drug-smuggling pigeon.

Corrections Canada is investigating where the pigeon might have come from and who sent it. They have not shared any more details.

Givo Hassko, director of the Vancouver Poultry & Fancy Pigeon Association said that there are two ways in which pigeons are used to smuggle contraband. They could be thrown over the walls into the prison with contraband tied to them. Or, they could be trained for months to fly back home. But, for this to work, an inmate would have to train the pigeon to think the prison was its home and to come back to it.

The first such case of pigeons being used for drug smuggling was caught in 1930 when a pigeon born in Texas was sold in Mexico and flew back to his home in Texas with two aluminum capsules full of cocaine tied to its legs.

Vineet Washington