Grass-camouflaged contraband package containing meth and iPhone seized at B.C. prison

A package containing illegal drugs and prison contraband, disguised with real grass clippings to blend into the yard, has been intercepted at a federal prison in Mission, B.C.

Correctional Service Canada says officers discovered the package during morning rounds on April 8 inside the yard of Mission Institution.

The contents included 300 grams of suspected methamphetamine, bottles of suspected steroids, unidentified pills, razor blades and an iPhone in a sparkly case.

Officials estimate the package would have been worth about $165,000 inside the prison, where contraband often commands far higher prices than it does outside correctional facilities.

Package designed to blend into prison grounds

According to officials, the parcel had been carefully camouflaged by attaching real cut grass to the outside of a bubble mailer, making it harder to spot once it landed inside the fenced perimeter.

Correctional Service Canada says the disguise was intended to help the package seamlessly blend into the grassy prison yard and avoid detection.

Mission RCMP have launched an investigation into the incident.

Police say the package may have been flown over the prison fence by drone overnight before being dropped into the institution’s yard.

Drone drops an increasing concern

John Randle, Pacific regional president of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, says drone drops have become a daily issue at B.C.’s nine federal institutions.

He said smugglers are using increasingly creative methods to hide contraband, including disguising packages as garbage or concealing drugs inside dead birds before dropping them into prison grounds.

Randle said the use of grass as camouflage is something correctional officers are seeing on a regular basis.

Sophistication growing as concerns mount

The incident underscores how prison smuggling tactics continue to evolve, making it harder for correctional officers to intercept contraband before it reaches inmates.

Randle said the growing sophistication of drone operations is especially troubling at a time when Correctional Service Canada is facing major budget reductions.

He pointed to $132 million in budget cuts as a serious concern, warning that fewer officers on the ground could make it even more difficult to respond quickly to drone drops and other security threats.

As the investigation continues, the seizure highlights the ongoing challenge prisons face in keeping drugs, weapons and unauthorized devices out of correctional facilities.