Most of us have had a late-night craving that only a McDonald’s run could fix. Most of us, however, aren’t behind bars.
An inmate at a federal prison in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, on Montreal’s North Shore, was caught this week after having McDonald’s and alcohol delivered straight to his cell, by drone.
According to an anonymous source who spoke with Narcity Québec, the delivery happened overnight between Wednesday and Thursday at the Regional Reception Centre, part of the Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines complex in the Laurentians.
“When a correctional officer was doing his rounds, he realized that the inmate was under the influence of alcohol. He also seized McDonald’s leftovers in his cell,” the source told Narcity Québec.
It reportedly happened in the most secure part of the prison
Quebecor media outlets, which first reported the story, say the delivery took place in the Special Handling Unit, the most secure section of the facility.
That unit is designed to hold inmates considered too dangerous for maximum-security prisons, which makes the idea of a Big Mac drop-off even more absurd.
According to Correctional Service Canada (CSC), federal prisoners in Canada cannot receive external commercial food deliveries (such as UberEats, SkipTheDishes, or local restaurant takeout). Inmates can only purchase authorized snacks, treats, or supplementary food items through the strictly regulated, internal inmate canteen system.
Drone deliveries are apparently common
As strange as it sounds, this kind of thing isn’t unheard of.
According to Narcity Québec’s source, who asked not to be named because they aren’t authorized to speak to the media, drone deliveries happen regularly at federal penitentiaries.
“We’ve long been raising concerns about security gaps on this issue. We don’t know why the drone detection system didn’t work,” the source said.
They added that there are known weaknesses in both the drone detection system and the security cameras, and that those concerns have been raised with Correctional Service Canada.
CSC confirmed that a delivery of “unauthorized items” did take place, and that the incident is being looked into.
“Any attempt to introduce prohibited or unauthorized items into a correctional institution, including through the use of drones, poses a risk to the safety of institutions, staff, inmates and the public,” the federal agency said in an email.
CSC added that inmates caught with prohibited items, or trafficking them inside a prison, can face administrative measures, disciplinary sanctions or criminal charges.
There’s no word yet on what consequences the inmate is facing, or how the drone managed to get past security.
This story was inspired by the article “Un prisonnier du Québec s’est fait livrer du McDo et de l’alcool : Voici quoi savoir” which was originally published on Narcity.
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