CN - A man who has served repeated stints at the Regina Provincial Correctional Centre says it's common knowledge to both guards and inmates that there is a plentiful supply of drugs inside the jail -- but he also says he's surprised that the situation has finally come to light. "Everybody in the jail knew about this, just nobody said anything about it," said the man, who asked not to be named. His identity is known to the Leader-Post. "It was a big operation in there. Big money."
The issue of drugs inside the correctional centre has been receiving lots of attention outside the facility in recent days, after the RCMP announced charges had been laid in connection with alleged drug trafficking to inmates.
But the situation is not news to many of those who have served time at the jail, who say drugs are readily available at the facility.
The man said inmates could buy a pinner -- street slang for a tiny marijuana joint -- for $20, and c***k, s***d, *** and prescription pills were all easy to come by through a highly organized drug trade on the inside.
"Anything else you want from the street, you just go and talk to the guy and he would place the order," he said.
Here's how he said it worked: An inmate would approach a "gopher" on their range to request the kind of drugs they wanted. The buyer would then receive a list of canteen items, such as noodles and chips, which they would purchase and then trade for the drugs.
"You give him the bag, he gives you the thing," he said. "Pretty cool, eh? That's how they do it."
The canteen goods would then be converted back into cash, and delivered to people on the outside as payment, he said.
He speculated that a bad deal may have put an end to the arrangement.
"Maybe somebody got burned with the deal and that's what went south," he said.
While it was not possible to independently corroborate the former inmate's account, numerous sources who spoke with the Leader-Post said the availability of drugs inside the institution is widely known.
They said drugs can be smuggled inside the facility by family and friends during visits, or by men -- usually gang members -- who intentionally get arrested carrying a parcel of drugs inside their bodies.
The former inmate said drugs could also be smuggled in by someone working at the facility, carried inside a lunchbag, a briefcase or a thermos.
Another former inmate said the drug trade was discussed openly among the inmates at the facility while he was inside in 2008 and 2009, and that "every guy in the joint knew."
"Guys were just discussing it so openly," he said. "If I knew, everybody knew. And everybody knew."
One woman who spoke with the Leader-Post recalled numerous occasions where her friends or family members were involved in getting drugs inside the facility.
"It's easy to get drugs in the correctional," said the woman, who said her father used to pay to have drugs and cigarettes smuggled into the jail.
Another man, who did time at the jail 25 years ago, said there were drugs inside even then.
"You'd just have to trade something for whatever," he said. "I never did it, but I saw it."
The problem is not unique to Regina. A man who has served time at the Regina jail said he's heard of situations in Winnipeg where the girlfriends of gang members get jobs as jail guards solely so they can smuggle things inside.
He said the only barrier to getting drugs in jail is money.
News Hawk: Warbux 420 Magazine - Cannabis Culture News & Reviews
Source: Media Awareness Project
Author: Jana G. Pruden
Contact: Regina Leader-Post
Copyright: 2010 The Leader-Post Ltd.
Website: MapInc
The issue of drugs inside the correctional centre has been receiving lots of attention outside the facility in recent days, after the RCMP announced charges had been laid in connection with alleged drug trafficking to inmates.
But the situation is not news to many of those who have served time at the jail, who say drugs are readily available at the facility.
The man said inmates could buy a pinner -- street slang for a tiny marijuana joint -- for $20, and c***k, s***d, *** and prescription pills were all easy to come by through a highly organized drug trade on the inside.
"Anything else you want from the street, you just go and talk to the guy and he would place the order," he said.
Here's how he said it worked: An inmate would approach a "gopher" on their range to request the kind of drugs they wanted. The buyer would then receive a list of canteen items, such as noodles and chips, which they would purchase and then trade for the drugs.
"You give him the bag, he gives you the thing," he said. "Pretty cool, eh? That's how they do it."
The canteen goods would then be converted back into cash, and delivered to people on the outside as payment, he said.
He speculated that a bad deal may have put an end to the arrangement.
"Maybe somebody got burned with the deal and that's what went south," he said.
While it was not possible to independently corroborate the former inmate's account, numerous sources who spoke with the Leader-Post said the availability of drugs inside the institution is widely known.
They said drugs can be smuggled inside the facility by family and friends during visits, or by men -- usually gang members -- who intentionally get arrested carrying a parcel of drugs inside their bodies.
The former inmate said drugs could also be smuggled in by someone working at the facility, carried inside a lunchbag, a briefcase or a thermos.
Another former inmate said the drug trade was discussed openly among the inmates at the facility while he was inside in 2008 and 2009, and that "every guy in the joint knew."
"Guys were just discussing it so openly," he said. "If I knew, everybody knew. And everybody knew."
One woman who spoke with the Leader-Post recalled numerous occasions where her friends or family members were involved in getting drugs inside the facility.
"It's easy to get drugs in the correctional," said the woman, who said her father used to pay to have drugs and cigarettes smuggled into the jail.
Another man, who did time at the jail 25 years ago, said there were drugs inside even then.
"You'd just have to trade something for whatever," he said. "I never did it, but I saw it."
The problem is not unique to Regina. A man who has served time at the Regina jail said he's heard of situations in Winnipeg where the girlfriends of gang members get jobs as jail guards solely so they can smuggle things inside.
He said the only barrier to getting drugs in jail is money.
News Hawk: Warbux 420 Magazine - Cannabis Culture News & Reviews
Source: Media Awareness Project
Author: Jana G. Pruden
Contact: Regina Leader-Post
Copyright: 2010 The Leader-Post Ltd.
Website: MapInc
