Merchandise found in Michel’s (fictitious name to ensure his safety) backyard would have fetched about $45,000 on the black market if it had ended up in the Montreal Detention Center, also known as the Bordeaux Prison, where the delivery should take place.
I live more than four kilometers from the prison. The whole family is still amazed to have found this package that apparently accidentally fell from a drone. It was at least seven meters long and very well locked, the man said. After this discovery, he immediately called the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) to get rid of the package as soon as possible.
“The probability that this package would fall out of the sky at my house was infinitesimally small. Personally, I would have loved to have won an amount playing Loto-Québec! »
— A quote from Michel, a resident who received an organized crime package from heaven
According to our police sources, the SPVM found almost a kilogram of cannabis, hashish, tobacco, a homemade knife and miniature cell phones with SIM cards that allow access to the LTE network in the rolled up packaging.
At least one drone delivery takes place over the walls of Bordeaux prison every day, according to the prison officers’ union.
Photo: Radio Canada
At first glance, this is an air delivery that had to take place right at the window of a cell. The serpentine shape allows the inmate to slide all of the contents into the walls between the prison’s very narrow bars, explained Mathieu Lavoie, President of the Union of Peace Officers in Quebec’s Correctional Services.
“Considering that cannabis sold indoors alone is five times more expensive than it is on the street, a package worth more than $45,000 was lost to organized crime. Somewhere is someone who just got into deep debt with a criminal organization because they couldn’t complete the shipment as planned. »
— A quote from Mathieu Lavoie, President of the Union of Peace Officers in Correctional Services of Quebec
The national president of the Syndicat des agents de la paix en services correctnels du Québec, Mathieu Lavoie, believes that drones have become a scourge.
Photo: Radio Canada
Value of cannabis and a cell phone in prison
cannabis on the prison black market: approx. 50 $/gram ($10/gram on the street)
cellular with SIM card: approx. 1000 $ per item ($200 in store)
Source: Union of Peace Officers in Correctional Services of Quebec
A market that operates by territory
According to an SPVM major crimes investigator who is not authorized to comment on the incident, criminal bikers currently control the very lucrative black market within the walls of Quebec’s provincial jails.
First, not everyone can deliver narcotics inside the walls. It’s a market heavily controlled by territories, much like the city of Montreal can be divided into territories to sell drugs. There are people who have paid dearly for trying to bypass outlaw bikers, our law enforcement source said.
Industrial drones are becoming more and more efficient and precise. You can self-control over three miles from a pilot and hit a target that’s only a quarter.
Photo: Provided by Flash Forest
According to our information, the SPVM annually receives more than 300 complaints from local residents complaining about the presence and noise of drones. These complaints also sometimes concern suspicious packages found in the countryside by citizens living near prisons.
“Controlling and feeding the black market for drone deliveries in prisons takes deep pockets. These are machines that are expensive to buy and replace because they have to be efficient. We’re not talking about the base model offered at Best Buy. »
– A quote from a SPVM Major Crimes Investigator
The drones used have a range of up to five kilometers from the delivering pilot. They are also known for being so accurate that they hit a target as little as a quarter. The problem is high winds causing packages to get stuck in the air, drone crashes and all sorts of incidents that can happen before the destination, the officer added.
The package recovered by the SPVM was confiscated for analysis. The entire contents will soon be destroyed in an incinerator.